I'm old....

I'm feeling old today. It's a birthday... No.. it's not mine. My daughter turned 8 years old today. Where does the time go? It seems like a week ago I posted on her birthday last year.... And now it's here again. Wow. Well.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY! Daddy loves you (even if you do make him feel old).

Decisions desicions......

My buddy Ender decided to be extra nice to me and make me some sweet banners! Thanks Ender!!!!! But now I am torn... Blogmad only allows you to use one banner in the rotation.... So I have to decide which one to use.... I hate that. I hate having to make decisions like that... they both rock! So I've decided it's up to you... Help me choose which banner to use... Speaking of Blogmad ... Have you joined? Have you been thinking of joining? Well... I could use the referrals, so feel free to join from here... And since you are in a voting mood already.... why not rate me on VARB?

Crapfest...errr... American Idol....

What happened to these folks this week? Did they all get together and decide to prove that they shouldn't be allowed to sing modern music or something? This had to be the worst night since auditions... and these are supposed to be the top 10???? Send em all home and let's start over! Here's the review.... Lisa Tucker Kelly Clarkson - Because of You Um.... no. Lisa... you have consistantly sucked and it's time for you to forget this little fantasy of yours and go home. But with how crappy most of the others were... who knows if you will. Kellie Pickler Suds in the Bucket - Sara Evans Boring. Come on Kellie... you are supposed to be a country girl... so what happened here? That sucked. Ace Young Train - Drops of Jupiter OMG... I'm blind! Ace decided to reveal his waxed chest to us during the horrible performance of a bad song.... Please... somebody put him out of his misery.... Talyor Hicks Trouble - Ray LaMontagne Taylor... sorry, but you kinda sucked tonight too. You have nothing to worry about, but come on dude.... Mandisa Wanna Praise You - Mary Mary Finally- something I liked tonight. The judges didn't get it, but who cares about them anyway? Pop out the Christian music in front of 30 million people Mandisa! Wtg! Great job! Chris Daughtry Creed - What If Dude... don't sing Creed. This was Chris's worst performance yet... That sucked. Katharine McPhee The Voice Within - Christina Aguilera Sounded horrible. I usually am all about the McPheever... but ewwwwwwwwww...... Bucky Covington Tim McGraw - Real Good Man In my opinion- Bucky was the best of the night. This fit him perfectly, and he did it well. Paris Bennett Work It Out - Beyonce I liked Simon's description of this one... "It was like a little girl trying to be Beyonce"- And might I add... failing miserably. Elliott Yamin Gavin DeGraw - I Don't Want to Be I can't believe I'm going to say this, But I kinda liked this version of this.... And when the camera pulled back far enough, I could almost look at the screen without hiding under the couch from his ugliness..... Do you folks who say Taylor can't dance turn the channel before Elliot comes on or something? Anyway- as you can see, I only enjoyed 3 performances tonight: Bucky, Mandisa & Elliot.... Bottom three: Lisa Ace Paris Going home: Lisa

Immigration reform???????

What is wrong with the folks in the senate??? They seem to want to look the other way when it comes to 11 million criminals- OK... I guess we'll just let you all stay since you're here already... WTF???? What's next... Bank robbers protesting in the streets because there are too many cops? Want an immigration reform bill? Here ya go: 1.) Secure the border! Walls, troops, whatever it takes- put an end to people just walking over whenever they feel like it. 2.) Any time someone is found here illegally, immediately arrest them and have them deported ASAP. 3.) Guest workers? Fine. But they must apply for guest worker status while still in their home country. Any person caught here illegally should be banned from ever getting guest worker status. 4.) Seriously punish anyone who knowingly hires illegal aliens- fines, jail time?!? Make it not worth it to hire them. 5.) Make the citizenship process easier and more widely available to people before they decide to immigrate. Our congress is seriously out of touch with the American people.....

Why do I blog????

I had a discussion with my wife earlier about if blogging is worth it. Some days, it seems like more trouble than it's worth to get people to actually come to your blog and read and comment.... But I have come to the conclusion that when it boils down to it- that's not why I blog.... When I started my blog in January of 2005, I did it just to see what all the fuss was about. I had heard increasing mention of blogs, bloggers, the blogosphere etc... and i had no clue what the Hell I was hearing. I heard there were a lot of political bloggers out there, so I decided to start a page that I assumed would talk about politics- Thus the name "Guppyman's Rant Zone". At the time, I would go to many political message boards and get into heated debate over how nuts I think the left is... Actually... It was around that time that I became so bored with politics and the circles the debates would go without actually getting anywhere... My first post was actually about us painting our dining room and a couple of projects we did... I posted a handful of times in January, including my most popular post ever (that hasn't recieved a single comment) about an aquarium stand I built (I say most popular because I get hits almost every day from people searching out aquarium stand plans).... February found me quitting smoking (yeah... I didn't stay quit)... March brought on my first experience with somebody talking crap about me on their blog.... Looking back, I still find it funny (and I still get occasional visitors from there)... I've talked about all kinds of things over the last year or so.... from stupid links to idiots hurting themselves to reality TV show reviews to prayer requests for my wife and family... I never did find that niche that my blog neatly fits into... I tried the occasional political post, but got bored by it quickly... I figure I really don't need to define where I fit as long as I enjoy posting still.... But the point of my post is this.... I love comments. They feed my ego, they make me feel like people out there actually care what I have to say, etc... But they aren't the reason I blog. I like getting lot's of traffic.... I like being ranked high on things like Battle of the Blogs... But none of those are my reason for all this either... I blog because I enjoy it. I like being able to look back on what I had to say about things. I like the community of people I have found. I like working with my template and making my page look how I want it. I've had webpages before that I went nuts on and constantly worked to keep everything up to date and how I wanted it... Blogging is a logical extension of that, with the added benefit of being able to easily add content any time I want without much effort. I love it. So comment, don't comment, read me daily or skim on by... any way you want to do it is fine by me.... My real reason for doing this at all is for me.

Final Renter...

I've tried out Blog Explosion's Rent My Blog thing for awhile now... It's a cool idea, people pay you credits to rent space on your blog for a week... Well... after 25 rentals, I've decided I don't want to deal with it anymore. I've rented to my last person... It's not that I don't like the idea, I just don't want to hassle with every week trying to put myself on auction again. So after this week, I'll be removing the rental space.... So how about everybody be nice and go click on my renter... Let's go out with a bang.

Weeds

I haven't mowed in the backyard for awhile.... When I went out there a little while ago, I noticed that all my weeds were putting on the nicest show for me... I almost hate to mow them down. Maybe I'll just declare my backyard a wildflower area......

It's Friday!!!!!

Ok... it's Friday and I don't know what to post about.... I felt the need to post just to move the picture of Chicken Little farther down the page.... Yesterday we went to the hospital for Stormii's pre-op stuff... They asked her a million questions and we sat around for hours... I watched the workers out the window tearing down the building next door.... Lately- I feel like I'm getting lessons in patience... Her doctor visits seem to take excessively long times... We wait around a lot. I am not the most patient person... I get real antsy while just sitting there... I'm the type that needs to be doing something. I just found it funny that in the box off to the right, I found this as Today's Promise: For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.-Hebrews 10:36,37 I'm getting better... Maybe I should get better at preparing myself for long waits.... Get something to do BEFORE I go to one of these things... not read all the six month old magazines after I get there... Anyway... Happy Friday everybody...

Shed a tear....

Yes folks.... you voted.... or should I say... you didn't vote and now little Kevin has to pack his bags and go home. America's newest sex symbol just didn't have what it takes to be your American Idol. It's a sad day indeed. Bye bye Chicken Little! You won't be missed.

American Idol

50's night.... Barely Man-enough helping the performers get ready.... I'll just jump right into the performances.... Mandisa Dinah Washington - I Don't Hurt Anymore Yeah. Madisa can sing. Yeah. it was another good performance from her. But I'm bored with her. Maybe it's her style of music... It's not something I see myself listening to after the show is over... I like her... I like her voice, but... I don't know... it's just not there for me anymore.... Bucky Covington Oh Boy -Buddy Holly Bucky Bucky Bucky.... Why did you choose this song? Kinda boring tonight, which isn't good at this point in the game... You might just be in the bottom three tonight. Paris Bennett Fever - Peggy Lee This was the worst version of Fever that I have ever heard. The judges were gushing all over this, but I thought it sucked. And I think America will agree with me and place little Paris in the bottom three. Chris Daughtry Johnny Cash - Walk the Line Dude... Chris could start recording now... forget this competition and go on to a very successful career. Very cool version of a great song... Katharine McPhee Come Rain or Come Shine - Ella Fitzgerald Sexy. Hot. I got McPheever! Taylor Hicks Not Fade Away - Buddy Holly Taylor is fun to watch... His dancing is hilarious, but it works so well for him... What did randy say... Jay Leno, George Clooney and a little Phil Donahue... too funny! Lisa Tucker Why Do Fools Fall in Love - Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, YAWN. I hope you packed Lisa.... It's time to go home.... Kevin Covais When I Fall in Love - Nat King Cole Kevin actually kinda sorta sounded good tonight. This one worked for him, and probably made 11 year old hearts melt.... Elliott Yamin Teach Me Tonight - Al Jarreau Boring. But then, I think he's been boring since day one. This guy has nothing to stand out... he's got a decent voice, but Chris and Taylor blow him out of the water on the guys side of things... He'll make it through this week, but i don't see him lasting too much longer... Kellie Pickler Patsy Cline - Walkin' After Midnight This is Kellie's niche... This worked great for her... BUT... Who did her makeup? I think somebody was screwing with her when they did it... she looked like Bozo the clown... Ace Young In the Still of the Night - Five Satins Ace must have realized after last week that it's gonna take more than a pretty face to stick around... I think this was the best he's done so far... I still didn't like it, but it was his best... So there you have it folks... Bottom Three: Paris Bucky Lisa Going Home: Lisa

The weekend and more pictures

This weekend I feel like I actually got something accomplished. I cleaned up one of the gardens- Trimmed out a lot of overgrown stuff and got some tomatoes and peppers planted... Stormii planted a bunch of new flowers and weeded and trimmed the front planters... The yard is starting to look good again! The most dramatic thing was when we fired up the chainsaw (you know you had a good weekend when the chainsaw gets involved) and trimmed the lower branches off the tree out front: This tree has driven me crazy since we moved in... I was ready to cut it down I hated it so bad... But a few cuts and suddenly I have a tree I like. Plus, you can actually see the house from the road now. I just hope the garbage men are ok with our bundles of limbs... And since ya'll seemed to enjoy the last batch.... here are a few more flower pics for you... Enjoy!

Random pics from the yard

I like to take pictures. I take a bunch- most come out crappy due to my camera... It's a Kodak EasyShare CX4310 - cheap little thing we got a few years ago... Some day I want to own a really really nice camera... Of course, then I'll have to learn how to use it, but that's ok.... Here are a few shots I took last week that I think turned out ok...

Funny stuff....

Picture this... My co-worker gets a call from his wife... She works for the Houston crime lab. They are working on getting their DNA lab back up and working after all the problems they had. Anyway- he's talking to her and he says- "I'm not going to ask them that... here... let me put you on speaker phone and you can ask them" And she did- She needs DNA samples... Ones only guys can give. She wants to send her husband to work Monday with little collection cups to get some male DNA samples... I wonder if she is sending magazines or DVD's to aid in getting these samples... I told him to ask how much it pays... No work is getting done here today... everybody is laughing too hard...

Update on Stormii

We went to the new doctor yesterday... First- He specializes in laparoscopic kidney surgery... Good news! He is 80% sure he can do this laparoscopicly! More good news! He says her time in the hospital should only be 24 to 48 hours, and her down time should be fairly short also! This doctor seems fairly confident and all is good on that end. Then we talked to his coordinator... It seems that he will be out of town the week they had her surgery scheduled... So... Now they are trying to reschedule everything. We don't know when just yet- just that it won't be the 29th. *****Hey... Now we know... Surgery is scheduled on April 12th****** Oops... I had my work reschedule some training courses to accommodate this... Stormii's mom and grandma have plane tickets that'll need to be rescheduled now... But you know what? It's ok. God is good! Stormii's dad is scheduled to see a neurosurgeon about his back problems on the 29th... So her mom will be there for him instead of here... It's kind of funny how things fall into place like that. I'll let you know when we find out more. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers folks... we appreciate it.

American Idol

Well... It's Stevie Wonder week. Why? Why take a guy who you've complained about people singing and base the entire week around his songs? What's next week... Mariah Carey? I hate artist theme weeks- I much prefer decades or style... Anyway... let's get on with the performances.... Ace Young - Do I Do Boring. Everything about this guy bores me... why do ya'll keep voting for him? Kellie Pickler - Blame It On The Sun Boring. Not even any new food to tell us about this week.... Elliott Yamin - Knocks Me Off My Feet Boring. My wife likes Elliott. I can't stand him. See what theme weeks do? I see a pattern starting.... Mandisa - Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing Mandisa was decent, but forgetable. The best part of her deal was when Ryan took her shoes off.... Bucky Covington - Superstition Finally... somebody who I might listen to after this is over. Bucky is one of the few this year that I would listen to after this is over (along with Taylor and Chris)... I keep seeing him towards the bottom of polls, and I don't get it... Melissa McGhee - Lately OMG... She forgot the words! First, in front of Stevie... then... on the show. How funny! Notice during the recap she suddenly sang it right? I always hated that they show practice sessions sometimes during the recap... Lisa Tucker - Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours Lisa did ok, but she was forgetable. Kevin Covais - Part-Time Lover Comic relief. First, I laughed all the way through his performance... then... I laughed through is attitude with Simon. This kid has a great future in stand up. Not sure why he's on AI though... But I hope he stays just for my entertainment. Katharine McPhee - Until You Come Back to Me Finally! The show started. What was all that other crap before this? I'vegot McPheever! Talyor Hicks - Living for the City Taylor is great! He knows how to work the crowd... his tourets style dancing works for him... he sings great... good job old man! Paris Bennett - All I Do I liked Paris during the auditions, but I am so done with it. I kept thinking her head was gonna fall off with her little bobblehead routine last night.... Chris Daughtry - Higher Ground And of course... Chris steals the show again. This guy knows what the goal is... to actually have a career after all this. He's well on hiis way, and he's gonna do great. Bottom three: Kevin Melissa Ace Going home: Melissa

BarlowGirl Never Alone

I waited for You today But You didn't show No.No.No I needed You today So where did you go? You told me to call Said You'd be there And though I haven't seen You Are You still there? Chorus I cry out with no reply and I can't feel You by my side So I'll hold tight to what I know You're here and I'm never alone. And though I cannot see You and I can't explain why Such a deep, deep reassurance You've placed in my life oh We cannot separate 'Cause You're part of me and though You're invisible I'll trust the unseen Chorus I cry out with no reply And I can't feel You by my side So I'll hold tight to what I know You're here and I'm never alone We cannot separate You're part of me and though You're invisible I trust the unseen Chorus I cry out with no reply and I can't feel You by my side So I'll hold tight to what I know You're here and I'm never alone

Random thoughts on a Monday.....

First- If you would... go click on the thumbnail on top of the far right column... It'll take you to see my buddy Mjet... She is renting space from me this week, and we'd both appreciate you swinging by- Tell her guppy sent ya! Thanks to everybody who left comments on my last post. I was starting to wonder if anybody was reading what I had to say. Some great points were brought up and a lot of new names that I haven't seen are there... I'll have to go visit you all soon when I get a chance. Wednesday we have to go and meet a new surgeon who is going to take over Stormii's operation. (See here for links to posts about that - Just in case you don't know what I'm talking about.) We are still scheduled for surgery on the 29th. I am confident that the ever changing doctors is God putting the right surgeon in place to perform the operation. Thoughts, prayers, etc... are always welcome. Somehow... I have become addicted to this game... Anyway- that's sporadic enough... I hope you all have a great week!

BlogMad Challenge

Ok folks.... we've all been going mad checking out Blogmad... I've gotten huge amounts of hits because of it- BUT.... Is it doing any of us any good? Where are the comments? Where are the new readers that come back day after day to see what's happening? Where is the payoff other than seeing my hit counter rise? This is the biggest problem I see with most traffic exchanges- yes... people see your blog... yes... you get hits... but Do they bother reading what you have to say? I know not everyone is interested in what I have to say- I click next blog on a lot that I surf too- but if it sparks my interest at all- I try to at least leave an "I was here" type comment... So... that's my challenge for the day... How many of you are willing to at least try to comment on the pages you surf...? let's see if we can make it a true traffic exchange- not one where you just see random 20 second splashes of color while waiting to click the right numbers...

Survivor

First... I have to say a little about American Idol last night.... Who was that guy claiming to be Bo??? Poor guy. That sucked royaly. He needs to get far far away from any contracts he has with that show and start making music.... The vote outs were great! Kinnik, Ayla, Will & Gedeon all went home... And I won't miss any of them. So now... Only one will go home each week.... Anyway- you're here for Survivor, so let's get started..... We start out at Casaya, and Shane is bitching about being in his alliance. He wants to be released from giving his son's name to the girls.... They are more than ready to release him- and put him on the chopping block. Over at La Mina, Dan reveals that he use to play football for the Dallas Cowboys.... oh wait... thatwas last season... Dan reveals that he was an astronaut. The guys are in awe that they are living with some guy who has been in space. I think that's a great job and all, but come on guys... Anyway... They also catch some minows and swallow em live like back when they were in college... REWARD/IMMUNITY CHALLENGE: IN-COG-NEATO the tribes must each choose three members to race one at a time out into a field to untie, lower, unhook and retrieve four puzzle pieces. Once all four pieces have been collected, the two remaining tribe members will use those pieces to solve a spinning puzzle. The first tribe to solve it correctly will win Immunity and the Reward: a feast in a Panamanian fishing village. The winning tribe also gets to banish one member from the losing tribe to Exile Island. But in a surprise twist, the person sent to Exile Island will not go to Tribal Council, thus protecting them from being voted out. La Mina- as usual- starts off with a huge lead... But they blow it when the rocket scientist can't figure out how to put a puzzle together... And Casaya wins reward! They get to send someone to Exile Island and that person will have immunity at tribal council... They make the smartest move yet and send Sally.... So the guys will have to eat one of their own... Casaya goes to a fishing village and they are met by a bunch of kids- they hand out toys, and they are led to a feast... Chicken, rice, soup, sodas and beer! And for Shane- he bums a smoke off of one of the locals... I have never seen someone make love to a cigarette before- and I really never want to see it again... That was nuts. I figure he probably ate the filter when he was done with it... But it did turn him into a halfway sane person again... Nic fit is gone and suddenly Shane is lovey dovey with the girls... Cirie didn't look to happy about that one. La Mina decides Dan needs to be the guy to get voted off tonight, and he gets his torch put out by Jeff... Next Wednesday they are doing a recap episode, and there won't be a new show for the next three weeks! So everybody needs to go find something to do on Thursdays for awhile....

American Idol (guys)

OK... It's the guys turn.... Here we go: Gedeon McKinney Percy Sledge - When a Man Loves a Woman OK... I'm bored with Gedeon already. He has one style that he fits in to, and no hope of going anywhere else. I see him having a great career in a casino bar somewhere... Chris Daughtry Broken - Seether and Evanescence Not nearly as good as last week- it may have something to do with my hatred of his song choice... still good enough to keep on going. Kevin Covais Don McLean - Vincent Wrong key for this song... wrong voice... wrong look... Kevin is a great kid... but he's so far out of his element it's funny. I'd love to see him stick around just for grins, but I don't think it's gonna happen. Bucky Covington Pat Green - Wave on Wave Bucky rocks! He's been one of my favorites of the guys since the beginning... He did great on this! Will Makar James Taylor - How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) Bye bye little Brady boy. You sucked again. It's time to go home. Taylor Hicks Taking it to the Streets - Doobie Brothers Wow! Taylor nailed it last night. His spastic arm flinging works for him. He's odd. He's really what music needs these days- something outside the normal everyday crap they pump out. Go Taylor! Elliott Yamin Bryan Adams - Heaven My least favorite of the guys... I wish he'd go home, but I don't think it's gonna happen just yet. nails on a chalkboard would sound better to me. Ace Young Butterflies - Michael Jackson Ok ladies... are you convinced yet that you don't have a prayer with Ace... WTF was that last night? Horrible horrible horrible.... So... Going home: Kevin Will And in case you missed it... Bo will be on the show tonight.....

American Idol

American Idol- Tonight started out rocky, but got better as the evening progressed.... here's my take on the girls- Paris Bennett Conga - Gloria Estefan This was bad. Not exactly a great song to begin with, but Paris didn't do herself any favors by doing this one. Lisa Tucker Here's Where I Stand - Tiffany Taylor Good vocals- but BORING! I don't get Lisa at all... She has a great voice, but she pumps out this forgetable crap every week. Why? Melissa McGhee What About Love - Heart Another very bad song choice. I'm a huge heart fan, and she slaughtered this one.... Kinnik Alicia Keyes - If I Ain't Got You She sang it like she never did get that sex-change... It really left me feeling like I was watching a bad female impersonator. Katharine McPhee Think - Aretha Franklin Hey cool... Finally... Somebody does something right tonight! The not pregnant, not quitting McPheever girl sounded good! Ayla Brown Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten This just sucked. I don't know the song, but I really hope that's not what it is supposed to sound like. She looked like she was trying to be something she's not (due mostly to Simon's advice). It didn't work for me. Mandisa I'm Every Woman - Chaka Khan Mandisa kicks ass! She's quickly becoming one of my favorites. Kellie Pickler Melissa Etheridge - I'm The Only One I liked Kellie a lot tonight. I thought she did a great job on this.... Vote for the Worst has decided that Kellie is the worst singer on here, and have chosen her as their candidate. They are destroying what I once thought was a great idea. I don't agree with them at all that Kellie is the worst- she's actually the most marketable one of all of them (and that really is what the show is about). After this is over, she will have a great career and sell lot's of albums. If she doesn't win (and I don't think she will), she'll probably outsell the winner.... Just my opinion... Anyway- My picks to go home are: Kinnik Sky And a surprise - Paris Bennett

Are you ready to rock?

I figured I'd share a little of my musical tastes with you today... I noticed that I can find all kinds of nifty videos over at You Tube - So here are the first few I decided to look up... Give em a listen and tell me... what are some of your favorites? Slade - Run Run Away Focus - Hocus Pocus Blue Oyster Cult - Godzilla Anthrax - I'm The Man Led Zeppelin - What is and What Should Never Be Stryper - Soldiers Under Command Motley Crue - Live Wire ACDC - Problem Child

Guppy jumps on the bandwagon.....

Yeah yeah.... I decided to be a follower... I went and looked my name up at Googlisms... And here's some of my favorites: he is worth whatever nottingham forest wants to pay he is a big kid he is almost spot on he is right he is hot he is here he is easy to please he is the bomb he is officially the most he is clueless he is reading your mind he is not mean he is crazy he is amazing he is alive he is miss anguilla 2002/2003 he is not really dull he is almost 100 percent certain he wasn't a woman yesterday he is so tasty you could just eat him up he is the casually late one he is king he is awsome he is a very good boy he is a man he is amazing he is weird he is masturbating he is music he is quite right he is the man he is a great guy he is currently recording his third cd

Survivor

OK... before I get started, Everybody run over and visit my new renter - Divine Calm... Here's a small bit of what I found on her page... For more, you'll just have to go visit her... I personally write about the wonderful things in life, because I frequently cannot see past the negative. Forcing myself to memoralize the good via a blog is an exercise to create a better sense of well-being. Tell her guppy sent you! OK... Now for Survivor... At Casaya... There are a bunch of folks sitting around trying to figure out how to make fire... So Bruce decides to make a rock garden... Aras and Bruce get pissy with eachother about it... My personal opinion... how many people does it take to build a fire anyway? The rock garden thing was kinda dumb, but really... what else do these folks have to do to occupy their time? REWARD CHALLENGE- Each tribe will designate a retriever to transport rice, beans and fish from a boat to the shore. The retriever must race out, retrieve one item and bring it back to shore, then toss the item to their tribemates, who will be lined up. The item will be tossed from one person to the next until it reaches the last person, who will toss it into the appropriate bin. Once the item is in the bin, the retriever must go out and get another item. The first two items will be a bag of rice and a bag of beans. Thereafter, the items will be fish. Once a fish gets to the end of the line, the last person must chop off its head and the tail before throwing the body into the bin. The first tribe to eight wins the Reward: the entire bounty of rice, beans and fish, while the losing tribe will be able to choose one bag of beans or one bag of rice to take back to camp. It was fairly even until Bruce can't figure out how to chop a fish head off. he whacks away at it over and over- Might as well have been using a baseball bat instead of a big ol cleaver... Finally Bobby takes over and his chopping skills save the day for Casaya- they win reward... and send Terry to exile island again. When Casaya gets back to camp, they discover that the rain has given them a swamp where their camp used to be.... They decide to eat their fish raw because they can't make a fire. Nothing like 100 pounds of sushi to get your day going... *Opinion time... They won a bathroom in the last episode... Hey guys... look at all that wood you have that would make a great roof! Build a roof over your fire and wood! I swear, these people are a bunch of idiots! La Mina did get to choose a bag of either rice or beans after the challenge... They chose beans- OOPS! Austin and Nick both discovered that after two weeks of not eating much, it's not a great idea to shovel beans down like you've never seen food before. Both pay dearly for it that night- from both ends. It's pretty sad when the most exciting thing about a tribe is their stomach problems... This tribe is boring! At Casaya, Bruce and Bobby decide to hang out in the outhouse with the last bottle of wine... Only to be discovered there by their tribe in the morning... Bobby had the line of the night when Courtney was bitching at him... Something like " I feel bad that I drank their wine, but I'm glad I drank yours" IMMUNITY CHALLENGE: Each tribe must send three members to paddle out to collect skulls from four coffins sitting on the ocean floor. Each time a coffin is found, someone must dive under water, open the coffin and find a skull puzzle piece. They'll then untie the puzzle piece and bring it back to the boat. Once all four skull puzzle pieces have been collected, they will return them to shore. The two remaining tribe members use those four puzzle pieces to build a skull pyramid. The first tribe to build their skull pyramid and place their gold skull on top wins Immunity. La Mina dominates the water portion of this one... But struggles on puzzle solving. Just when it looks like Casaya may overtake them, La Mina pulls it off. Casaya has fun figuring out who to vote out... It's Bruce, Then it's Bobby, then it's Bruce, etc... Why couldn't somebdy wise up and make it Courtney or Aras???? Best vote at TC since Season one... 3 for Bobby, 2 for Bruce, 1 for Courtney and 1 for Aras... I love this tribe! They are the most disfuncional bunch of idiots I have ever seen on this show! Let's hope they have the majority at merge time... It'll be great to see all the alliance hopping if they do.

American Idol - Guys turn

*Before you read much further, I figured I'd mention that BlogMad opened up yesterday. I have done some surfing over there and so far I like it. I've also noticed that they are throwing and incredible amount of traffic my way.... OK... Since I did the girls yesterday, I'll do the guys today..... Taylor Hicks Easy - Commodores I like Taylor. He's different. He's good. I'd even root for him to win this thing... BUT- I started thinking about it- can you see hearing this guy on the radio after this is all over with? I need to hear him do some more modern stuff to know..... Elliott Yamin Moody's Mood for Love - James Moody I can't stand this guy... it's probably mostly his looks (he looks like somebody beat Eminem with an ugly stick)... Not bad if you close your eyes, but not real impressive either. Ace Young If You're Not the One - David Bedingfield Just a quick word to all you girls who are so hot after Ace... Ryan has a much better shot at him than you do. Boring performance. Gedeon McKinney Sam Cooke - A Change is Gonna Come Gedeon reminds me of Michael Evans from Good Times... He sounded good last night, but I have a feeling he'll crash and burn the day they step outside his style... Kevin Covais I Heard it Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye Deer in the headlights. That geeky kid they dared to get up and sing karaoke at the dance. America's newest sex symbol. Going home. Jose "Sway" Penala Overjoyed - Stevie Wonder Yawn. Why is this guy on the show? At least he didn't try the falsetto thing again. Will Makar Lady - Kenny Rogers He did ok. He's a local kid, but he just doesn't say 'star' to me. Bucky Covington Thunder Rolls - Garth Brooks I thought this was the best Bucky has done. It was funny, I was telling my wife that he'd sound great singing something like "Turn the Page" and right after, Randy says he'd sound great singing Seiger... David Radford Frank Sinatra - The Way You Look Tonight Crooners croon, but they can't do anything else. Chris Daughtry Fuel - Hemorrhage FINALLY! Somebody who understands how this show works! Chris took a song that the people who vote actually know, and then he nailed it. If he keeps it up, he's easily the choice to win it all. The judges were right- he is the guy that all the others need to look to on how to win the show. Going home? Kevin Covais Sway

American Idol

OK fine.... I decided to review the women's performances from last night's American Idol... (I was going to wait till the final 12 were picked, but... ) For the most part- last night was boring. The contestants really need to learn what they are playing for in the end.... They are trying to become a pop star in today's musical world... They aren't shooting for the retirement home crowd... You gotta appeal to teenie-boppers. So... how many of last night's performances did that? Yawn.... Katharine McPhee All in Love is Fair - Stevie Wonder Good voice, but... Zzzzzzzz..... Kinnik Sky Gretchen Wilson - Here for the Party Was Kinnik Sky a man at some point in her life? I'm just asking... Kinda like bad karaoke... Lisa Tucker Who's Lovin' You - Jackson Five I think she has the best voice in the competition... She needs to sing something more towards pop and leave this stuff behind. Melissa McGhee Reba McIntyre - Why Haven't I Heard From You Sexy raspy voice, nice chest, but she's scary looking. Heather Cox Mariah Carey - Hero This weeks lowest vote getter. Brenna Gethers Donna Summers - Last Dance Another great Vote For The Worst performance! She is so bad, but it's so funny to watch. I hope VFTW can keep her around for a long long time. (plus, I love seeing how upset she gets people) Paris Bennett Bette Midler - Wind Beneath My Wings Paris- another big voice that needs to let go of the past and join the modern era. Ayla Brown Celine Dion - I Want You to Need Me I may be alone- but I can't stand this girl. She's annoying, she's not now and will never be a pop star, she just grates on my nerves. She has a nice voice, but please America... put her out of her misery soon! Kellie Pickler Bonnie Raitt - Something to Talk About Kellie- I like the country girl thing... I love seeing the innocence- I just wish you'd figure out that the stage is larger than the little circle in the middle. If she learns to work the stage, she's got a big future in front of her. Mandisa Cry - Faith Hill Mandisa can sing. Boring song. She kind of made me think that I could see her leading a gospel choir... OK... stretch, yawn... wonder why I sat down to watch this.... My picks for going home tonight? Heather Cox Kinnik Sky There you have it... Tonight is the guys... let's hope that they have learned that you need to do something to grab attention- not put your audience to sleep.