HALF-BAKED

There are two sides to every story, right? And I’ve only given you one of them so the cake is still half-baked. I’ve written a lot about the negative part(s) of online dating. Some say too much. I think the quote was, “we get the point.” True but hey, it’s my blog after all, right? But I’m happy to report that yes, there ARE positives to internet dating. There have been some recent developments that leave me optimistic. Roads to choose; decisions to make; people to see; come here, go there? Who knows where anything will lead; only time will tell. I just wanted you to know. Yeah I know, details details, but you’re gonna have to wait. The cake isn’t completely baked yet.

KATE NEEDS A DATE. FILM AT 11.

Stephanie's JDate photo (left) Evangeline Lilly (Kate) photo (right)

It's been quite the week on JDate. All the crazies are out in force. I came across this profile. Stephanie says she's 35, from Scottsdale Arizona and says this about herself, "outgoing, intelligent, funny, kind hearted, socialable, and down to earth. I make the most out of life and I am looking to meet some new people who want to show me around town." What? No mention of her starring role in Lost? Now who in their right mind would put up such a picture without even mentioning it in their profile? I guess there are enough dumb saps out there who might think it's the real Steph. I'm truly lost on this one. But I DID find the exact same photo here as seen above.

OK. I gotta run. I have to go find pictures of Sawyer (Josh Holloway) to post on my profile...

A DAY IN THE LIFE II

Last night, “Jane” from Miami was online. According to her profile, she spoke Spanish and Russian. She seemed interesting so I said hello. This ended up being a ‘been there, done that.' And now, for your enjoyment, is the rest of the story…

PlantationFL333: Hola or Privet, Mama
mamajBA83: hi
mamajBA83: how are you?
PlantationFL333: estoy bien, y tu?
mamajBA83: what do u do?
PlantationFL333: Workwise?
mamajBA83: ya
mamajBA83: name?
PlantationFL333: I'm a CPA, I work in the Finance field
PlantationFL333: Me llamo Todd And you?
mamajBA83: ok
mamajBA83: am jane
mamajBA83: am seeking for a guy here
PlantationFL333: Well, here I am
mamajBA83: ok
PlantationFL333: I enjoyed your profile
mamajBA83: u have a g/f?
A83: really?
PlantationFL333: If I did, I would not be here
mamajBA83: ok
mamajBA83: u like my profile?
PlantationFL333: Yes, it's very nice
PlantationFL333: It says you grew up in Florida?
mamajBA83: ya
PlantationFL333: Where did you learn Russian?
mamajBA83: you have a nice pics
mamajBA83: you really a cute guy
PlantationFL333: Spashiba
PlantationFL333: Se habla espanol tambien?
mamajBA83: i can't get you?
PlantationFL333: What Jane?
mamajBA83: i can't see you writing well
PlantationFL333: Would you like me to write in english and not spanish or russian?
mamajBA83: ya
PlantationFL333: ok. What do you like to do, Jane?
mamajBA83: i like going out
mamajBA83: playing music
mamajBA83: u?
PlantationFL333: I enjoy going to concerts, beach, art shows, trying new restaurants
mamajBA83: cool
PlantationFL333: Do you like concerts?
mamajBA83: i will like to meet you in person so we can know each other well
PlantationFL333: OK
PlantationFL333: where do you live?
mamajBA83: i live in south beach but am not in the state now
PlantationFL333: where are you now???
mamajBA83: am in a hospital stuck down now in west african
PlantationFL333: what are you doing there?
mamajBA83: is a long story honey i had a car accident
mamajBA83: i can tell u how it happend
PlantationFL333: ok, i'm listening
mamajBA83: years ago my mom told me that my dad left her for nigeria to work with a japanies
company , few years later i was introduce to a beauty pargent where i practice i was one of the queen later
my mom died i find it difficult to put myself together mamajBA83: so i came in search of my dad in africa
reaching here i had an accident and was rushed to the hospital for treatment and when i got recovered i
noticed that my dad company address is no more with me am the little money i have with me ,now the
doctor of the hospital has seized my
mamajBA83: traveling document coz of the hospital bills am owing the hospital for my treatment now the
hostital
mamajBA83: plz help me out
mamajBA83: that was how i got there
PlantationFL333: I wish I could Jane. I am sorry for your difficulties and I wish you the best of luck. I must go now. Take care, Todd.
mamajBA83: help me out
mamajBA83: help me pay the bills

A DAY IN THE LIFE

I met a new woman yesterday morning. Or should I say, she met me. She sent me ‘flirt.’ For those of you non-online daters out there, a flirt or wink is a quick canned message you can send to someone you’re interested in. I don’t get many, and for the ones I DO get, it’s usually not a very good match for me. The problem with this particular flirt message was that I couldn’t read it.

I couldn’t read it because it was in Hebrew. Despite being of the faith, I can’t read a word of Hebrew. I have a handy-dandy mini Hebrew-English dictionary but that’s about it. She was online so I sent her an instant message saying hello and apologized for not speaking Hebrew. We had a nice broken English IM chat. She wanted to call me. I know, I know. You’re thinking Africa all over again. I reluctantly gave it to her and she called me.

We actually had a nice conversation. Her English is a lot better over the phone than in written form. She told me she was living in New York but had spent time in Miami recently and that she may be coming back. We agreed that if she did, we’d meet. See? That wasn’t so bad now, was it?

This morning, I saw her online. I got out my Hebrew dictionary and said ‘hello, how are you’ in Hebrew. I waited. And I waited. No response. Aaah, this is the life of internet dating. Obviously, she found someone who could actually speak Hebrew and was probably a better match for her and was most likely local. Now, I don’t mind all that. I mean, great for her if she found someone. But I just wish people wouldn’t just disappear like that and ignore you so easily, especially when you THINK you had established some kind of rapport. When will I ever learn, you ask? Good question. I’ll have to get back to you on that.

UNITED 93

For the entire 90+ minutes, no one in the theater moved, no one made a sound; it was total silence. I’d be hard pressed to recall any movie that gripped an audience like that. It’s remarkable when you consider that each one of us already knew the outcome. Yeah, I knew the outcome yet I was nervous and tense throughout.

I must admit that you have to be in that certain kind of mood to see United 93. Recent events got me plenty in the mood. I was ready to relive the events of 9/11. Five years ago, I was just leaving for my court appearance when American Airlines flight 11 slammed into the North Tower. By the time I got back, I had no idea what had transpired. This movie, in real time, put me right into the thick of it.

I’d read somewhere that the families of United 93’s passengers and crew condoned the movie. After watching it, I can see why. There were no fancy special effects and no Hollywood superstars. Under Paul Greengrass’ direction, the movie put you directly into United’s cabin, cockpit, into the control towers in Boston, New York, Cleveland, and Herndon, Virginia. What took place that day was total chaos, really. How easily the terrorists passed through security, how lost and confused the military seemed to be, how slow information was relayed, and how truly helpless everyone felt.

As I watched, my emotions weren’t any less than five years ago and every year since. I’ve seen the footage seemingly a million times. Yet again, the movie was truly like a nightmare relived up close and personal. I really recommend you go see it or rent it. It reminds us of why we have to go through the pains of travel. It reminds us of the vigilance we felt and should still feel. And it makes us wonder, how we might prevent something like this from happening again in some way or another. It seems inevitable to me. I hope, as a nation, we’re better prepared.

PULCHRITUDE

She's almost perfect.
She is so close to being everything.
She's almost perfect,
but she's not, she's not.
Lyrics by Ingram Hill from the song, Almost Perfect

I told you about my futile attempt to get a date for the James Blunt concert. Now it's time to explain why I needed a date...

A year can be a short time or a long time, depending on what the subject matter is. Since the subject here is dating/relating, a year in this case is a long time. Mentally, I remembered what it was like; physically, I’d forgotten. Mentally, it felt good to know that someone really liked me. She made me really look forward to each new day. She made the days go by quickly. It was that happy mental state that made me walk around with a smile on my face. That’s such a fulfilling feeling.

We met in a chat room. Where else, right? Typical me. I was a newbie; she was a veteran. I was pretty much laying low trying to figure out who was who. We exchanged pleasantries each time we ‘saw’ each other. I think almost in a kidding way, she finally said to me, “When are you gonna ask me out, Plantation?” I laughed and did just that, but I guess I didn’t respond quick enough because she made some sort of wise crack and left the room missing my reply. So I emailed her, told her I had indeed asked her out but that she missed it. So I asked her out again and so it began.

She wanted some basic information before agreeing to go out. I gave her everything, blog included. Yeah I know; you and I have had the blog/no blog argument before and once again, I didn’t listen. But she liked it and seemed rather intrigued by it. And man, she read like everything in it, and it still didn’t scare her. She told me she liked to write, too. And here’s one other interesting factoid. We discovered we had the same birthday. That seemed to be the clincher. And so, the first date was set. We were comfortable enough with each other to risk a dinner rather than a quickie coffee or drink date.

I drove an hour to meet her in her neck of the woods. As soon as I saw her, I realized the drive was worth it. She was even better looking in person than her picture. I felt those invisible physical attraction vibes. The one’s I’d not had in nearly a year. I put our name in, and we sat outside together on a comfortable wicker couch. We sipped wine, talked, and laughed. We learned we had many common interests; food, wine, music, and even sex. She was easy to talk to. We ordered some amazing coconut shrimp and talked. We even decided to eat dinner outside on the couch since it was so comfortable. A first, the hostess told me. Thing is, we never got to dinner. We talked for nearly three hours. I even stole a few kisses. After a short while and some more wine, I didn’t really need to steal them. She was a good kisser. I almost mentally melted. It was nice to feel that again. She seemed almost perfect. She smoked, but I was willing to overlook that. She had to go home to her kids; otherwise, I think the night could have gone a lot farther. No doubt, there would be a second date.

I suppose I took a bit of a risk for the second date, but we seemed comfortable with just about anything. So I invited her to spend a day at the beach with my sister and family who were here for their annual visit. She accepted without much trepidation. The weekend started and ended incredibly. She brought me a gift. Now THAT’s a switch, no? Usually it’s me bearing gifts. Through her reading of the blog, she found a particular red wine that I liked. It shocked me, really. And I knew it wasn’t a cheap purchase either. We spent the day at the beach, at the pool, cooking, eating, talking, laughing. She fit right into the family. Everyone got along great, especially her and I.

I had gotten her a hotel room so she didn’t have to drive home. There were no guarantees as they say, but we both knew it was inevitable that I’d probably stay with her. It was great. Mentally and physically, I felt really wonderful. She seemed to as well. During the next day plus, we ended up taking many of these “detours” as I explained to my sister every time we disappeared. She even blew off work on Monday and surprised me with my favorite Starbucks Iced Coffee. What a great weekend. I tried not to forward think, and I was doing well with that. She was doing most of the forward thinking. Again, quite the role reversal.

As you know, we took in a Miami Heat game and again had a blast although I drove her crazy with my incessant game analysis and statistics. She spent the next weekend with her kids. Her ex had them every other weekend. So the next weekend, I came to her house and we hung out. I actually gave HER a gift this time. Yeah, CDs. We shopped, took in a movie, dined out – typical “couple” stuff. Things seemed great. We got home late from dinner; it was around midnight. She was tired and there would be no detour. I really didn’t think much of it at the time. There was a detour in the morning and we shopped and ate a cool picnic-style lunched and watched NASCAR. Yes, she liked NASCAR. I ended up going home around 6 p.m.

The next weekend was an off-weekend with her kids, and then Monday night we were having an IM chat. We talked about the Miami Heat, hair curlers, eye glasses, porno stars, the usual stuff when seemingly out of nowhere…

Almost Perfect (AP): honey i really need to talk to you about something that would be much more appropriate face to face
plantationtodd: subject matter?
AP: us
plantationtoddt: uh oh
AP: you know i think you are terrific and you know how much i enjoy spending time with you
plantationtodd : waiting for the but
AP: its a big but
plantationtodd: spill it
AP: i have a lot going on here. with the girls...more than i even realized. and i dont think i have anything to put into cultivating a relationship other than with my children
plantationtodd: it's an extremely difficult thing..goodness knows; so now what? parting gifts?
AP: im sorry. this was really a hard decision for me. i didnt want to end up being another of your disappointments

She went on to tell me she was disappointed that she wasn’t as close to her daughters as she had either hoped or thought she was. I said I understood and I really did. She told me she couldn’t go to the concert and that was pretty much that. Friends. My specialty.

I was happy with myself for not losing it. There could be a number of reasons why, I suppose. I’m getting used to rejection or more experienced with it. Practice makes perfect after all. But I think it was more of her decision than anything to do with me. She chose her daughters over me. Could I really blame her? No. Rejection isn’t ever easy. Naturally, I was disappointed. Not upset, just disappointed. I mean, this all seemed so sudden. I thought about it and wondered how long she’d been thinking about it. The next day, I asked her.

AP: hi...are you ok?
Plantationtodd: hi. yeah, still a little {fill in appropriate adjective here} surprised/stunned. Have been wondering how long you have been thinking or maybe it was something about me you're not telling me about..you know, the usual monday morning quarterbacking thing...
AP: i will reiterate...i think you are a wonderful man. you have so many things to offer a woman. there really isnt anything i'm not telling you. i am really quite fond of you and care about you deeply. but i'm not feeling as passionately about you as i hoped i would, and perhaps if i did, i could justify trying to balance you and the girls. as it stands right now, i cant see past just them.
Plantationtodd: I’m trying to fight my usual tendency of overanalyzing what you're saying and just leave it at that. How long have you been thinking about this?
AP): i started questioning my priorities a few days ago…

She told me some more stuff about not being close enough to her daughters and that they were claiming she was always busy. Busy with me, I guess. But now I had some new information and I fought my weakness of overanalyzing, but how could I ignore those words, “…but i'm not feeling as passionately about you as i hoped i would, and perhaps if i did, i could justify trying to balance you and the girls.”

Now I was confused. Maybe I was really more a part of her decision than I thought. For two days, I thought it was a mother/daughter thing, but now I wondered if I hadn’t really met her expectations. I ran the scenario by one of my female ‘advisors.’ Without hesitation, my friend said it was me. If AP really liked me, she’d have found a way to balance it, just like she had said to me. Now in my mind, the pendulum swung back to me. I tried to get more answers the next day.

AP: everyone in my world wants to know how i could break up with someone so nice
plantationtodd : i think the words that stick most for me is that you didn't feel as passionately about me as you had hoped..think that sums it up
AP: i'm sure that is not easy to hear
Plantationtodd: can you elaborate on that at all? Maybe i can learn something.
AP: physically its not anything you did or didnt do. i hate that word chemistry, but i suppose its true. its either there or it isnt. passion is deep rooted. while i care for you and enjoy your company a lot, i think the passion or sparks were not as strong as i had hoped
plantationtodd : i guess i'm wondering when you realized this. The more i think about this, the more i think this was about me and not your girls; like you said, if there was chemistry on your part, you might have chosen the balance route. Oh well nuff said.
AP: i think i knew saturday nite when we got home. i should have wanted to make love and all i really wanted to do was sleep. im sorry todd. i really am. i wanted this to work and you are right, had there been more chemistry, maybe i would have chosen to at least try to balance my life

Well there you have it. It really was about me when you really get down to it. I did ask her if there was anything else, and she suggested that I not portray myself as a victim because women like their men to be stronger than they are. She made a good point. I over-share information. Next time, no blog. Maybe I’ll keep some of the “bad” stuff to myself and not be so open so soon. Worth a try, anyway.

As I think back now, what's disappointing is the fact that she “knew” yet there I lay in her bed totally unknowing and then spending the entire next day at her house unknowing. Gee, I wonder what she was thinking all that time? Honestly, I’d rather she'd have told me the night before that it just wasn’t working for her and to just call it a night.

Coincidence or not, things broke down soon after the jinx factor. One, I gave her CDs. Two days later it was over. Two, I bought two concert tickets. I told myself I wouldn’t. It seemed like a sure thing. Two days before the concert, it was over. Interesting but I know karma isn’t THAT strong. Nope, what it boils down to is this. Well, let me tell you a little story first. I was in Starbucks getting my iced coffee and while I was waiting in line, I started looking at some of the vocabulary words on the wall from that movie they were promoting, Akeelah and the Bee. And there it was, staring right at me.

Pulchritude – great physical beauty and appeal

I actually smiled. How appropriate. Sure, pulchritude may be a fancy word for chemistry, but that indeed, is really what it’s all about. And what's perhaps most disappointing is that I perceived it was there both inside the bedroom and outside. Just goes to show you, I still have a lot to learn.

RUNNING ON EMPTY

I think the race I remember running in was like 30 years ago. I think it was the 50-yard hurdles, and I beat Elias Bateh who was one of the fastest kids in junior high. I think he must have tripped over a hurdle or something because I certainly wasn’t faster than him.

I never liked running. I could never figure out how people could run for anything more than like 10 minutes. Boring. I only took up running two years ago because, hey, I’m getting up there and somehow needed to get/stay in shape. The only thing that really convinced me that I could run was the advent of the beloved iPod. Running with my music made it most tolerable. I started off running a mile and graduated to two. I never ran more than two. Somehow, that was just right for me.

I’d been neglecting my daily run recently and so when my employer posted an email for a Corporate 5K run, it gave me incentive to get back into it again. My only worry was running 3.1 miles having never done that. I had about three weeks to train. I ran every other day and on my last training day, I attempted the 3.1 miles. I timed myself in 29:20. It was pretty tiring but I finished comfortably and felt ready to run the race. My goal was to break 29 minutes.

Race day weather conditions were brutal. Although the start of the race was at 6:45 p.m., it was 88 degrees and 90% humidity. Man, was it hot. And man, were there a lot of people! There were over 21,000 runners smothered at the starting line and beyond. It was very claustrophobic. I stood amongst the throng of runners for 45 minutes sweating my ass off in the starting area. I wasn’t nervous. My only race strategy was to run my own race, pace myself as I had been training, and not burn out in the first mile.

A cannon blast signaled the start of the race and it took me 45 seconds just to reach the starting line. I arranged my iPod to play, “Over My Head” by The Fray. I think the title fit. Off I went, careful not to trip over the hundreds of feet around me which was particularly difficult just 75 yards into the race where we encountered a 90-degree right turn. I almost had to stop cold to avoid running over people, but after the turn, the race progressed and I was able to at least get some breathing room to run my race.

I felt on pace during the first mile which included lumbering up a bridge over the Miami River. That took a lot out of me, but I still reached the one-mile mark in 10 minutes which is my usual time for the first mile. I felt good and in control. In my training runs, I usually picked up the pace and ran the second mile in nine minutes, but as I plodded along, I didn’t feel myself running much faster. I was extremely hot and my legs started to feel a bit heavy. I looked up and saw a nice-looking girl running ahead of me and figured I could stay with her and perhaps take my mind off of the actual running of the race. And then came another bridge.

It was a different bridge over the same river as we navigated our way back home. I don’t know if it was any bigger, but it sure felt that way. Even the sound of “Somebody Told Me,” by The Killers couldn’t get me to run any faster. I struggled mightily up to the top of the bridge and just coasted down. The girl I was following was now a distant memory. I crossed the two-mile mark in 20 minutes, still on a 10-minute mile pace. Only now, the bridge took most of my energy away from me. My face was on fire and I wondered how the hell I was going to make it another 1.1 miles without passing out.

I had a choice to make. Go for a time and possibly kill myself or make it a goal to not stop and try to make it to the end. Based on my increasing body temperature and my knack for the dramatic, I decided on option B. I didn’t want any ambulances whisking me away. So I decided to make a commitment to keep going at the current pace and not to stop, as much as I wanted and perhaps needed to. I stopped looking at my watch and just tried to listen to my iPod. The three-mile marker seemed to take forever and as I approached it, I could see the clock read-out. 30 minutes and ticking.

I was disappointed that my time was really sucking, but as I turned for home, I realized that I was going to make it without stopping. I picked up the pace as best as I could and staggered across the finish line in 30:54. I felt like I had nothing left in me. Drenched in sweat, head pounding, legs rubbery, I needed hydration quickly. I tried taking a short-cut over a three-foot wall but couldn’t get my legs to cooperate so I took the long route. I got to our corporate tent, and our HR VP thankfully handed me a bottle of water.

I took a seat and poured some of the ice cold water over my head. I ended up drinking three Gatorades and two bottled waters. Whew, it was so hot. I was disappointed in my time, but proud that at least I didn’t stop and managed to make it to the finish line. I’m glad I did it. It was a good experience and a personal challenge. I’m going to do it again next year, and my goal is to run it at least three minutes faster and feel like I’m running on plenty, not empty.

HIGH

photo courtesty of Alex Hung

I was frantic as usual the day of the concert. I told myself long ago to stop buying two tickets. I’ve been good; for the past six months or so, I’ve only bought one ticket for the last four concert events. But I thought THIS time would be different. Wrong-o. On my way to the concert, I received my seventh and last “no thanks.” I know, I know; you’re sitting there asking me why didn’t White Hot woman go with me. Well, therein lies the problem, but that’s for another post…

I looked around the packed Hard Rock venue and people watched. Not a lot of single guys in the crowd. Not a lot of empty seats either. There was one next to me and I was ruing that fact, sort of feeling sorry for myself. Finally, the lights dimmed and the stage dude said something like, “From Denver, Colorado, give it up for The Fray. Oh my god, that stunned me and put the biggest smile on my face. I had no clue my new favorite band would be playing and I quickly forgot about that empty seat next to me.

The Fray opened with the CD-titled “How to Save a Life” and closed with “Over My Head,” they’re two most popular songs. If you’ve never heard their sound, they are piano and guitar-driven accompanied by the smooth vocals of Isaac Slade. Their songs range from rock to ballad. Similar to Coldplay but not quite, I guess you could say. The boys sounded great and they played with a lot of energy. Slade’s piano playing made for a nice defining touch. It’s nice to see that not all bands these days are solely guitar-based. Trust me, these guys are gonna make it big.

By the time James Blunt hit the stage, the crowd was pretty restless. They were tiring fast of the stage guy constantly saying, “Make some noise, make some noise.” I was thinking, Dude, bring on James Blunt already, and you’ll hear some noise for cryin’ out loud. The dude said the concert was being played live over some PBS Special. The stage dude got his wish when James entered the small Hard Rock Live arena. Immediate frenzy ensued.

I was really curious to hear if he could match that incredible falsetto voice in a live setting. I had to wait a bit because he opened with more the rock-driven songs “Breathe” and “Billy.” I got my answer when James sang his next song, “High.” Wow, was it great. He hit all the high notes perfectly, and the song was sung as crystal clear as it was on the CD. The crowd went bananas.

The second thing I wondered about was whether he talked the same way as he sang. Haven’t you noticed that often times, singers speak and sound little like how they sing? I dunno, I guess Neil Young and Steve Perry come to mind as guys who have high singing voices but not so much their speaking voices. For you oldie rockers, I guess the same could be said of Frankie Valli. Well let me tell ya, James spoke exactly as he sang in that high-pitched tone. He even made fun of himself saying he sung like a little girl.

James shifted from guitar to piano throughout the set which included “Cry, Goodbye My Lover, Tears and Rain, Out of My Mind, No Bravery, Wisemen, and Jimmy.” In the backdrop was a video screen which displayed some curious images of his peculiar Monkey King logo. The origin of the logo is somewhat disputed although there are lyrics in “Out of My Mind” which reference, “It's touching that the monkey sits on my shoulder.” Also vivid on the screen were images of war-torn Kosovo that James took while he was in the British Army as he sang the haunting “No Bravery.”

The concert closed with a three-song encore which concluded with, “You’re Beautiful,” which again sounded every bit as good as the CD version except for the additional 5,000 member chorus singing along to every word. Whether he was singing about getting high (High, Wisemen, You’re Beautiful) or just hitting all those wonderful high notes, James definitely left us with smiles on our faces and feeling indeed, very high.

AMERICAN IDLE

I think it’s time to pull the plug on what was once an interesting concept for a TV show. The idea of finding America’s best amateur singer was compelling, and I think we found her in Kelly Clarkson. Kelly was miles above the rest of the competition. And now look at her, wow. Like her or not, she can really sing.

Seems to be, the singers have gotten worse and worse. The overall winners less and less impressive. I haven’t watched American Idol much this season. I try to pay attention to who is in the competition. Tonight, I watched. It’s hard to believe that these four people are America’s best. Based on one show, I liked the dude Chris, an Ed Kowalczyk (lead singer for Live) look-alike.

But I think the problem with the show may not be with the singers but with the producers. These theme nights don’t seem to work for me. I guess you have to be well-rounded for the producers to think you’re a good singer. You have to be able to sing disco, country, oldies, soul, Elvis, etc. Why? Why can’t they just allow the singers to sing what they’re best at? Allow them to be their best and not force them into a genre that makes no sense whatsoever. Take tonight, for example. It was “Elvis” night. There are three male contestants and one female. How in the world is that fair for one Katharine McPhee? It wasn’t. She was predictably terrible. Can you imagine Simon Cowell asking Luciano Pavarotti to sing an Elvis or a Donna Summer song, for example?

The judges acts are getting old, too. Randy “Dog” Jackson’s jive schtick, Paula Adbul’s happy clapping, and Simon’s British babble. And how about the real judges, the American public? Are they voting for the best singer or is it really a popularity contest? I hope this is the last season for Idol. The format and the talent are watered-down, and the show is truly running on Idle.

100,000

I guess it's all about winning and not necessarily the prize. I mean, I don't think a Plantation CD is very valuable. But I give our winner credit. He/she clicked my little blog 54 times between 11:10 and 11:20 p.m. Unfortunately, I can't identify the specific state they came from. It looks to be Virginia on the statcounter map. Well, if you know who you are, send me your info and I'll mail you the CD. The runner up is from Mt. Laurel, NJ who I think is a regular. So send me your info too, Mt. Laurel in case mystery state doesn't identify themselves.

I want to thank everyone for just being a part of this little ol' blog. I'm really grateful. We'll celebrate again when/if I reach 50,000 readers. Hits are one thing, but it's the reads that count in my book (no pun intended). We're nearing 35,000 on the reader count, so it's likely the New Year 2007 will arrive sooner than reader #50,000.

And btw, I picked out my new frames. Oakley Soft Tail. Like 'em?

ON TAP

MONDAY: Time for a new pair of glasses. It's been nearly two years, and I need a new prescription. I've been looking at these frames. Which ones do you think will look good on me?

TUESDAY: It’s hard to believe I’ve been blogging here for 18 months. From humble beginnings, my counter at the bottom of the blog tells me I’m at nearly 99,700 hits. I’m guessing by Tuesday, one lucky reader will be my 100,000th. I think I’ll send the lucky winner a Plantation CD.

WEDNESDAY: Concert time. Looking forward to seeing James Blunt.

THURSDAY: I haven’t run a race since the 6th grade. I’m running in a Corporate 5K event at 7 pm. Heck, it’s only 3.1 miles. That's a walk in the park for my dear friend Sass, but for me it's a marathon. My goal is to run it in under 30 minutes.

FRIDAY: Recovery from Thursday.

CUSTOMER (DIS)SERVICE

A replay of my phone call to the Miami Heat ticket office…

Heat Rep: Miami Heat
Plantation: Hi, I was wondering if the NBA has announced playoff dates for the New Jersey series yet?
Heat Rep: No
Plantation: OK. Do you have any idea when they are supposed to make the announcement?
Heat Rep: No
Plantation: Uhh, OK. Thanks
Heat Rep: {Click}

FOR GOODNESS SAKE

One of my favorite places to shop is The Fresh Market. Their slogan fits perfectly, "For goodness sake." It's similar to Whole Foods. Yeah, it's gourmet and more expensive, but to me it's totally worth it. I'm happy to pay more for fresh meats, fish, and produce. But I *do* have my limits. Take this week's special for example:


I mean..guys...uuh...errr...ummm...for goodness sake!

P.S. Yes, I did steal the little sign.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

A LOT THINGS LEAVE ME SCRATCHING MY HEAD. SOME BOGGLE MY FRAGILE MIND. I’M NOT PROUD OF IT, BUT I’VE BEEN HANGING OUT IN CHAT ROOMS FOR THE PAST FOUR MONTHS. I’VE OBSERVED THAT CHAT ROOMS ARE LIKE MINI SOCIETIES. THERE ARE THOSE THAT SEEM TO RULE THE ROOST AND DOMINATE THE CONVERSATIONS. THESE PEOPLE SEEM ATTENTION-STARVED OR SOMETHING. PERHAPS IN REAL LIFE, NO ONE LISTENS TO THEM SO THEY FEEL THE NEED TO PLAY KING OR QUEEN. AND THEY LIKE TO ENFORCE CERTAIN HOUSE RULES, IF YOU WILL. ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THIS? IF YOU’VE ALREADY ASKED YOURSELF, “Why is he shouting,” THEN I GUESS YOU ARE.

No I wasn't shouting up there, but that brings me to the point. I gotta tell ya, of all the things I’ve witnessed thus far, the “Rule of Capitals” cracks me up the most. I mean it’s literally a capital sin (pun intended, of course) in these chat rooms if one types in all capital letters because evidently, you’re shouting and hurting everyone’s ears. People actually get annoyed and offended and down right nasty to those using all caps. Can you believe this crap? I don’t get it. Why is everyone so afraid of CAPS? Oh, stop shouting! Please turn off your caps! OMG, quick, someone call the ALL CAPS police!!!

It seems to me there are more important things in this world to worry about than your fellow man using all caps. People, they’re just letters. Who cares? Besides, the letters are bigger and easier to read. Doesn’t that count for something? I guess I’m just different. Maybe that’s why I’m not cut out for the chat room. My honest assessment is that if you have half a brain, than that’s probably half a brain too much to engage in chat room conversations. My advice? STAY AWAY FROM CHAT ROOMS. AND YES, NOW I AM SHOUTING!