randomly snarky

She may have fallen back onto the crazy train, but Paula was right – Jason’s second song did suck.  But who could follow a stupefying pre-performance pan?

The cynic in me wonders if Abdul’s behavior – coupled with a pronounced format change for the judges' feedback – was a pre-scripted ploy to drive some Internet buzz. The mega ratings are sagging, you know.

It’s more likely Paula was thrown by the format and had written notes in advance, based on rehearsals, to help when the time came. 

Regardless. By prescription, non-prescript (gasp) or nicely spiked Coke, she was clearly high. Huzzah!

Posted by suzie at 11:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Mac vs. PC remains an open challenge for me. I've been working part-time on a MacBook Pro for several weeks but have yet to fall in love. Oh, I'm definitely crushing on Silver, but I spend so much time deprogramming from my PC, it's hard to sit back and enjoy the Mac.

Love the UI, operational speed, and ease of some functions, like how CDs work with iTunes. The keyboard, menus and overall desktop navigation are still alien to me. Of course I've spent as much time with the Mac over several weeks that I generally spend in 1-2 days with my PC.

My two blog posts on Sunday were done on the Mac. No difference in the MT interface but saving and cropping the miShare image on my desktop was a snap. Next weekend I'll try working with photos off my camera... graphics are supposed to be the genius of a Mac, right?

Still loving the Mac ads... but I swear they're not the reason I took the plunge. Mostly.

Posted by suzie at 09:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I came across this cute little gadget for sharing between ipods called miShare. The software is still in beta but as a multi-pod owner, I appreciate the idea. And only $99. So, um, let me know if you buy one.

Posted by suzie at 09:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

Carly blew an opportunity with her redition of Superstar. I like her strong, rock-vibe voice, but she didn't own this song the way she could have.

Jessus Christ Superstar is one of the few musical soundtracks I love and listen to a couple of times a year. When she switched to this song, I expected Carly would connect with the music. Not so much... although I didn't think she'd get voted off for her take. Oh, well. I'm often a bit askew from the final vote.

Posted by suzie at 09:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I stuck with the plan not to watch the American Idol results shows last week.

But after the show tunes I'm curious, so I set my DVR. I won't be home to watch live, so technically I'm sticking with my plan.

David Cook is my favorite of the bunch. He has incredible range, which was fully on display last night, even if not perfectly executed.

Brooke? She's a better actress than she is a singer. I liked her in the beginning but as the performers around her improve, she's vied for the sympathy vote each week. The eyes, the shrugs, the tears. Not so hot on he singing.

I don't believe Brooke forgot the words last night.

The false start was part of the game.

Still, I think the least winning performance of the night was Syesha who neglected to add anything contemporary. She's been auditioning for Broadway for a few weeks now anyway, so maybe it works out.

Bottom three: Jason, Syesha, Brooke. My (non) vote goes to Brooke.

Posted by suzie at 07:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I sent a coworker a Hipster Card today. Not this one. Hipster's collection is a mix of cute, subtle and lowbrow attempts at humor. On a quick browse I found a  healthy collection of retro-themed cards perfectly tailored for the people I know. Yes, many of my friends are odd. And your point is?

(Please pardon Hipster's French.)

Posted by suzie at 06:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is directly outside the gate I use to enter the office... ouch!

Posted by suzie at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hi, my name is Suzie and I'm a vampire. 

Virtually, of course. No gothic vampirism interests here. Heh.

The Vampires app on Facebook (and Bebo!) serves as a great stress reliever. Seriously - a feed here, a bite there, it's a calming distraction. All in 10 minutes or less.

My colleagues and friends who aren't in the game can laugh all they want; I'll just keep biting them until they cave.

Posted by suzie at 06:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

A short blurb from ICYDK made me laugh today - and sparked a rush of good memories.

Quoted from Keanu Reeves -- "We were hanging out in New York recently... it was Halloween. These two guys in Smurf uniforms came up to us and one of them said, ‘Oh look it's two fat guys who want to be Bill & Ted.'" Heh.

Hard to believe it's been almost 20 years since me and my friends went on multiple excellent viewings. Woah.

Posted by suzie at 09:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Remember my complaint about the new Diet Coke caps? Okay, maybe YOU don't remember, but I sure do.

So I took pictures... the good cap Florida still offers vs. VA...

Seriously - how are we supposed to deal with the shorties?

Posted by suzie at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This was posted at work with good intentions. Aimed at foodies, but clearly not written by one.

Please, keep ground beef in your fridge or freezer until you're ready to cook. Otherwise, your "experiment" will be less about spices and more about killing vermin in your pantry.

Posted by suzie at 10:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mid-April's gray skies in my neighborhood on the way to work Thursday morning...
 

Um, shouldn't there be more leaves on the trees by now? And only one flower has bloomed in my garden. But the neighbor's house, as usual, is in perfectly-manicured bloom. But her trees are bare too.

Posted by suzie at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Idol gives back. Suzie gives up.

Tonight's elimination of Michael Johns perfectly illustrates why American Idol drives me crazy. Far too soon for someone as fetching and talented to be let go. (Fetching?)

The kids are voting!
Anti-Idolers are teaming to force the results.
The song choice was that bad?
Not to mention the telethon of force-fed charity.

But given the options, how could Johns be next?

I'm not watching anymore. After next week.

Posted by suzie at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

I drove alongside a Smart car yesterday on my way to work. The car was as big as a good Schwinn. Of course I was looking down from my tall (but compact!) SUV. But, still.

The driver looked vunerable and relatively uncomfortable given the size of his own chasis. But he kept up with my over-the-limit 50 MPH. Eek.

I'm sure the cars are technically safe for highways, but not next to monster trucks, er, standard-sized vehicles.

So, until the average U.S. car gets smaller, let's keep Smart cars on local city and town streets, not the highways. Thank you.

Posted by suzie at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

This made me laugh. I had seen a similar statement on a t-shirt in VA a few weeks ago, then again on this car in Gainesville, FL, last week.

The driver of the car I was snapping probably thought I was a stalker. Or a PI, depending on his level of guilt. 

Posted by suzie at 12:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We visited the Hard Rock in Tampa last Wednesday, and I won a promotional drawing. Again. But this time the amount was so crazy, I’m still comfortably numb. Sweeeeet!

Could my luck lure me to lose? Nah… I’m too cheap to “invest” my hard-earned money and turn into a serious gambler. I’ll stick with < $100 on nickel slots, a couple of times a year.

But, as Jackie suggested, I could rent myself out as a good luck charm. I’d come cheap, too – just transportation, room, and enough coinage to let me play those colorful 5-centers.

Think about it. Just don’t let me enter the promotional drawings, cause they’re all mine, dammit!

Posted by suzie at 11:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)