Archive for February, 2012

Newer Entries »

SMASH


08 Feb

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Music, Television | Comments Off

My favorite thing about SMASH was the opening moment- Katherine McPhee singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. I just started laughing out loud. I don’t know how many people got the joke- that was the song Simon Cowell chose for her to sing on judges’ choice night, and one of the songs she sang for the finals when she came in second on Idol –but for me it was fabulous.

I love musical theater. SMASH wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough that I’ll keep watching. I’ll just have to remember to watch Castle on Hulu Plus later in the week.

The Voice (s2 ep2)


07 Feb

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Music, Television | Comments Off

They started hyping the Alicia Keys backup singer Sunday night, so we knew he had to be good. I wasn’t surprised that Cee Lo turned around for the soldier. She sang Pat Benetar, and we know from last season that he’s a Benetar fan.

I was annoyed by the comments of “oh you’re good looking, I wish I would have pressed my button”. That’s the whole point of the blind auditions. Looks aren’t supposed to sway the judges. And truth is, I wasn’t surprised at any of their non-decisions. Pitch problems or something else, those folks weren’t cutting it vocally.

The Voice (s2 ep1)


06 Feb

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Music, Television | Comments Off

The Voice is back! I think my two favorite singers were the classically trained guy and the former Musketeer. I don’t know names yet. I’ll learn them as we go. Overall, I was on board with the decisions about who got to continue on and who did not. No one blew me away like Nikita last year, but that’s okay. They’ve got time to get better.

This season, the judges get teams of 12 instead of 8. That should add at least 4 weeks to the show. That will give us all more time to get to know the contestants.

Movie Review: Drive


05 Feb

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Movies | Comments Off

I don’t get the appeal of Ryan Gosling. Watched Drive last night and first thought the character had Asperger’s. Later decided that no, his problem went beyond not getting social clues to having no moral compass.

The movie was quite violent. In some cases it was handled well, but in others it was just gratuitous. Did Blanche’s head really need to be blown off?

Of course, we missed the end- not certain how much of it. Our 24 hours ended while Gosling and Albert Brooks were killing each other in the parking lot, but all we were seeing was shadows.

Blog Feature: Average Joe’s Money Blog #yakezie


04 Feb

Tags: , , ,
Posted in blogging, Finances, Writing | 2 Comments »

I wrote a post called “Average Joe’s Deserve to Retire, Too.” Average Joe wrote a post about financial lessons in board games. A geek/ personal finance blogger friendship was born.

Average Joe’s Money Blog is written by two finance professionals, Average Joe and the Other Guy, and they manage to provide sound financial advice in an easy to read format with a good sense of humor. We like humor.

Average Joe is also a cat guy, and managed to convince someone else to write a post that links personal finances to crafty old cats. How can you not like that?

Hockey & Dogs


03 Feb

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Dogs, Hockey, Pets | Comments Off

How often do I get to write a post that combines hockey and animal rescue? How happy does it make me that I get to do so today?

Over the All-Star break, St. Louis Blues’ captain, center David Backes was not playing in the game. Did he sit home and mope? Absolutely not.

His wife is very involved in animal rescue and Backes, his wife, and his flight instructor did a rescue flight fromSt LouistoHoustonand back to bring three stray dogs to the Five Acres Animal Shelter, which is no-kill.

As of today, I’m a fan.

Almost There


02 Feb

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Discrimination, Gay Marriage, Politics | Comments Off

Last night, the same-sex marriage bill in Washington state passed the state Senate on a vote of 28-21. That is good. I don’t even mind that opponents will have time to gather signatures in order to get a referendum on November’s ballot. I think the voters will make their views clear.

I am angered by Senator Dan Swecker, not because he voted against the bill, but because he is concerned that it doesn’t do enough to prevent a “hostile environment for those of us who believe in traditional marriage”. Tables turned. I have no issues with bigots facing hostile environments.

The Rain is Here


01 Feb

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Home Ownership, Weather | Comments Off

Winter has arrived inSeattle. I am not talking about the snow a couple weeks ago, though that does happen roughly every two years. I’m talking about the rain- the weather we normally associate withSeattlewinter. Up until the January storm, it had been a relatively mild and dry winter.

This week, the rain has hit. And I am kind of glad, despite the fact that one of my dogs doesn’t want to go outside. We had work done in the basement last spring to prevent future flooding. I would really like enough rain to see if it worked.

Newer Entries »

100 Words On

topics explored in exactly 100 words