This is kind of embarassing, but . . .

I really enjoy watching the MTV show Making the Band 4. Yes, Puffy Diddy is an idiot, but that's what so great about it! It's really quite amusing, and he and the producers seem to be in on the joke. The editing can be hilarious. But, the show leaves me with a few questions, in no particular order:

• Why, in a singing battle, are men required to take their shirts off?
• Is Donnie related to David Silver aka Brian Austin Green?
• Why, two episodes ago, were the men running in zero degree weather, and on Monday's episode, playing basketball in sweltering heat?
• Why must they continually sing the same songs over and over? Aren't there other R&B tunes in this world.

Let's keep watching to kind out. . .

Harry Pooper Review

Harry Potter is staring me in the face. Literally. Across from my office a Barnes and Noble window is covered in posters spelling “HP 7.” The Harry Potter phenomenon is everywhere, with hype surrounding the seventh and final book of the series, and the release of the fifth movie. I’m not out of the loop on many things, but having dismissed the books as children’s fare long ago, I couldn’t keep up with “muggle” conversations.

At a recent trip to a used-book store, I found the first two books, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on sale for $1.50 each. The $3 investment led me to explore what Harry Potter and friends had to offer an adult looking for a satisfying summer read.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling, begins by introducing us to the Dursley family, of which Harry is a reluctant member. His own parents died while he was young, leaving him in the care of his irritated aunt and uncle. Harry grew up knowing he was different from other children, but only fully realizes his uniqueness once he receives a letter from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry, like his deceased parents, is a wizard.

Our hero soon boards the Hogwarts express to the depths of Rowling’s imagination. The rules of the wizard world are much different than the world in which Harry lived. As he is introduced to strange elements, the reader also becomes familiar with the fictional environs. Harry’s posse, including Ron Granger and his red-headed family, and know-it-all Hermoine Granger, bring him up to speed on the Hogwarts surroundings. Living in Gryffindor is good, Slytherin dormitory is bad. Dumbledore is good, Voldemort he-who-should-not be-named is bad.

Rowling guides us through Harry’s first year at Hogwarts following his ups, becoming an important player on the Quidditch team, and his downs, confrontations with the bully Malfoy. Throughout the year, Harry and the Gang think they’ve discovered a professor who turned to the dark side. Could one of the professors really be helping Voldemort? The author successfully builds the mystery, keeping the reader in suspense until the conclusion of the novel. Some puzzle pieces, however, go undiscovered, leaving the world-wide audiences to continue reading Harry’s adventures and watch them come to life on the big screen.

Imaginative storytelling plays the largest role in Rowling’s tale. Had Harry’s problems taken place on an ordinary school yard, children would probably still have been interested, but the creative descriptions of the scenery somewhere beyond London truly captivate readers of any age. The writing style seems geared toward pre-teens but, anyone can appreciate the magic of the wizard kingdom. Rowling’s themes will also resonate with children and adults alike. Feelings of personal insecurity, comfort in friends, and good versus evil among your peers will all be familiar sentiments.

I’ve read half of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and while I won’t be waiting in line at midnight to purchase the seventh book, I will definitely be among those reading the literary finale hoping for a happy ending.

Bear Grylls is Nuts!

My husband is sick. Consequently we watched tv for twelve hours yesterday, including two and a half hours of Man Vs. Wild. Yes, I decided to forgo laundry and the three thank you notes I still have to write in favor of Bear Grylls, who is nuts! He peed on a shirt and stuck in on his head! He drank water from a muddy cave. The minute he eats his own feces I will turn the television off never to return. However, I will still think he's cute.

Our other treat for the day was Flight of the Conchords. I thought this show looked pretty funny. It was hilarious! That Prince-like song was one of the funniest thing I have seen on tv in a long time. I will continue to watch this show, and will only be disappointed if the final episode ever cuts to black. Lame!

Shear Genius?

Would you want this woman - with an overgrown mullet - to judge your hair? Didn't think so!

Ah - the abandonded blog!

There's something about planning a wedding that just sucks the life right outtya. But, in 8 days (EIGHT DAYS!) it will be pay off time and we're going to have a grand old time. Somehow, these last 9 months of wedding planning have been fairly uninspiring to write about. Plus, do you REALLY want to hear about the bridesmaids shoe-crisis or how the wedding coordinator missed the memo that our guests would like to drink wine during dinner? Neither did my fiance.

Once I'm Mrs. Mxxxxxxx, I'll be back to blogging. There's much to discuss: Our Sanjaya free nation (boo). . . actually, that's about all I can handle right now. TGIF. w00t there it is.

I Have Started an International Rumor

Just wait for it to catch on like wildfire. Yup - I submitted the first item.

Break is Over. Waaah.

See the lady to the left? That was me last night. Why? Because I had to go back to work today. As frequent readers of this blog can probably guess, I don't like work. I sit here all day and am bored, hence boredom blogger. Guess what I wasn't during break? Bored. I wish I had had time for boredome over break, but I was always doing things. Here are some highlights, or, lowlights. For instance, the woman to the left only resembles me somewhat as my hair is now brown. For a long time, I had been against coloring my hair. Then, one day a few years ago, perhaps out of boredom, I decided, why the heck not? Over the years I became blonder and blonder, but the blond just wasn't working for me anymore. I'm ok with having brown hair. I can be a brunette. In fact, I think it makes me look more grown up, not to mention the cost savings. So, there was that.
Also, I learned how to play poker. 5-card stud. I quite like poker, although calling a straight a "run" is inappropriate. I have yet to get the lingo down.
I saw Dreamgirls. Not on Christmas/opening night as scheduled, but I did see it. In a continuation from one of my last posts, I hate Beyonce, or as I will now refer to her, Beyotche. Jennifer Hudson and the rest of the cast were great, but it was like Beyotche was doing an impression of herself doing a Diana Ross impersonation. I know the role is based on her, but geez-o, how about bringing a little imagination to the role.
I cleaned out the medicine cabinet. Needed to be done. Got rid of the milldew in the bathroom, dirt on the living room floor.
Although I've determined that I need to be more active this year, this leading the finace to proclaim this year as "2007, The Year of Activity," next year I'm going to take two weeks off. To reward myself for all the activity during the other 50 weeks.