New Development

Even though I knew it was coming before the official announcement was made yesterday - you never what ends up being a rumor and what becomes true. Lowe's, the major home improvement retail store, will be building an outlet here in Marquette. It will be built across the highway from our other home improvement retailer, Menards. The building itself will be 139,000 square feet large, and I have no idea if that includes a lumber yard or garden center (but I don't believe it does - those will be separate). Needless to say, this will provide a major shot in the arm for the area as it will provide for new jobs and an increase to the tax base. In my opinion, Menards really is not doing an adequate job providing affordable buidling supplies to the area. I also believe their customer service is very poor. With a major competitor just across the road from them, I think this will help them to be more competent and they won't take advantage and over price their materials like they can now. Otherwise you know what people will do then. Head across the highway to Lowe's.

Over the years as I've lived here in Marquette or nearby, I've heard many different rumors regarding retail stores and restaurants potentially locating here. Five or six years ago, Home Depot was supposed to build a store right where Lowe's will be building. Even our local newspaper included a big write-up on the front page. But that never materialized. In today's paper in the article that mentions the new Lowe's store, Home Depot was brought up again as having interest in the past at building a store behind the Westwood Mall. Since it seems that Lowe's will definitely be locating here, Home Depot seems to be the odd man out. I just can't imagine having all three major home improvement retailers here in a town of 20,000 people. But then again, we did have a K-Mart, Target, and Wal-Mart for awhile before K-Mart closed.

About three years ago, I heard the rumor about Costco buying Super One (a grocery store) and the Superior Lanes (a bowling alley) and building a store on that parcel of land. That never materialized. Another rumor involved the popular restaurant the Olive Garden locating in Negaunee Township across from the old airport where the new casino will be built eventually (they've been saying that for the past five years now, though). There's also been talk about a Dairy Queen (which would be awesome), Old Navy, and an Arby's coming to town over the years, but those have never materialized. And yes, even a Sam's Club was mentioned as possibly locating here at one time. But the problem with a Sam's is that they are usually located directly next to Wal-Mart. Our Wal-Mart (which is always crazy busy) is land-locked on both sides of it. Menards happens to sit next to Wal-Mart and if it should happen to close, you better believe that Wal-Mart will look very closely at building a Sam's there.

The latest "rumor" flying around involves Walgreen's building a store here. But that one will pay a price if it goes where it's been rumored to go. Shunk's Furniture and JT's Shaft would be bulldozed in favor of a Walgreen's. Those two businesses are long time establishments of the area and it would be a shame to see them go. Walgreen's is a very popular drug store (in case you're unaware) and would also affect Shopko quite heavily because their pharmacy is very popular. Shopko would be directly next to the new Walgreen's, if it should happen to go there. It could very well be the final nail in the coffin for Shopko which has been hurt by Wal-Mart and Target here. And that would truly be a shame for me, because Shopko is probably the store I shop at the most, and I know I'll really miss it (and it happens to be two blocks away!!!).

The one thing I am truly happy to know is that Perkin's will finally be here in town. It's probably one of my favorite sit-down style restaurants and it's going in where Timbercreek used to be (actually, the Timbercreek building is being completely renovated into a Perkin's). Perkin's is a restaurant we always seemed to go to on our family vacations and trips to Wisconsin. They always have great food and finally we'll have one in Marquette.

Meaningful Songs

I am sure we all have certain songs that elicit memories from our past and present. They may provoke pleasant and happy memories or those that are sad, maddening, or depressing. Here are a few that are "classics" in my mind and ones that I never get tired listening to.

Everything but the Girl - Missing

This is a song that brings me back to the mid-1990's (and seeing Chris Kattan butcher it on "Saturday Night Live" certainly didn't help it's popularity with me). My older sister had just graduated from NMU with a degree in Biology and was headed to Marshfield, WI to attend the histology program at St. Joseph's Hospital. My family helped move her into this very old, musty smelling building that was actually a dorm on the hospital campus where she was to stay. It was the least bit modern and didn't even have cable TV! I felt bad that she had to live in such a dump and the worst part, being five hours away from her immediate family. She was crying as we parted ways and the rest of us piled into the car and drove off. Tears started streaming down my face as I realized how far away my sister would be. I could see my mom in the seat in front of me blotting her eyes with a kleenex and I'm pretty sure my other sister in the seat next to me was crying, too. This song played as we drove through Marshfield and on our way out of town. I listened to the words of the song and it had such a profound effect on me and I always makes me feel connected to that time.

Merril Bainbridge - Mouth

This song absolutely makes me smile everytime I think of it. If you've ever really listened to the lyrics of the song, you know it'll make you chuckle. My dad was always a "fan" of it even though it seemed to be an odd choice for a favorite song. Hearing him try to sing this song being just him and me driving through the old homestead really brings back a good memory for me. That's not the only memory I associate with this song. This song happened to play on the radio when me and my two sisters were all in the car heading to one of our favorite local scenic points; the Laughing Whitefish Falls in Sundell. I remember one of my sisters swerving out of the way of a raccoon as we drove towards the falls. I think we were even singing along to certain parts of it.

The Proclaimers - 500 Miles (I'm Gonna Be)

This is such a classic 80's song for me and one that I adore. Probably the one specific memory for me is listening to this song along the AuTrain-Forest Lake Road on our way back home after doing some swimming at the AuTrain Recreation Area. It's such a catchy tune and you can't help but sing bits and pieces of it whenever you may hear it. Also, since we're discussing it, another memory I associate this song with is from high school. I was part of this science group that won many awards during the regional competition which earned us a trip downstate to Lansing. One of the songs we listened to as we made the long treck to Lansing on the school bus was this song. And yes, many people were singing along. Seems that it had a significant effect not only on me, but others as well.

These are just a few of the songs that bring back good memories for me. As I think of more, I'll post them and the reasons why they are so special.

American Idol Top 4

So, were you wondering where my American Idol recap was last night? Yep, it's a bit later than usual due to traveling back to Marquette after spending the weekend at my parents once the show concluded last night. So I didn't have any time to write the recap until I got home from work this afternoon. But enough about that (and I'm sure you're all bored to tears), let's get to the recap!

Ahh, I absolutely love this week's theme. The Bee Gees are one of my all-time favorite bands. I know many of their songs, including all from their most recent album several years ago. My mom got me hooked on listening to them and they've produced an amazing amount of music during the past 50 years. Probably one of the saddest days was when Maurice Gibb, one of the three Bee Gees passed away a few years ago. I knew then that the Bee Gees would never be the same. They haven't even produced a new album since - and I don't think they ever will under the name "Bee Gees." However, they have nothing to be ashamed of, considering the critical success they've endured over all these years.

The evening starts off with Melinda singing "Inside Out," a song very unfamiliar to me (why pick a song that's completely obscure). Gosh, I wasn't even paying attention to it much as I was looking at pictures from my parents trip to Las Vegas that my dad was showing me. I caught the tail end and I thought the performance was boring and lacked any sort of originality. She could've picked a much better song from the Bee Gees and really brought it home, but instead performed a very safe song.

Blake steps to the mic next and sings "You Should be Dancing." Blake did such an amazing job last week making Bon Jovi's song sound contemporary and new that I was hoping he'd blow me away again. But this week didn't live up to those expectations and I was left disappointed. He sang the song in falsetto like the Bee Gees sang it and I did not like it at all. The falsetto just sounded so awkward coming from Blake. It probably wasn't the best song for him, and then you add the beatboxing which really didn't work well this week. Blake just wasn't up to par on this song.

Going third was Lakisha, and she sings "Stayin' Alive," the 70's classic from the Bee Gees. I am just not impressed with Lakisha anymore. It seemed to me that Barry Gibb wanted Lakisha to sing the song at a higher octave than what she wanted, yet she did not follow his advice. I think it might've worked better for her if she would've listened to him. I didn't think it was a very good performance. She did tend to shriek at times, especially during the runs of the song. She went backwards this week (compared to last).

Jordin is up next singing, "To Love Somebody." Definitely the best performance of the night, thus far. In fact, she was in a league of her own compared to the other singers. Barry Gibb gave Jordin amazing praise for her performance of this song in rehearsals, saying it was the best he'd ever heard from the countless numbers of singers that have covered it. I don't know if it was necessarily as good as he said, but Jordin definitely did a nice job with it. The one thing I love about Jordin is that she sings a song the way it's supposed to be sung, and she proved that with this song.

Oh were not done folks, as all of the singers come back again and try to redeem themselves with a second song. Melinda steps to the plate and performs "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart." I thought it was much better than her first song of the night and wasn't nearly as boring (maybe because it's one of the Bee Gees more recongnizable songs prior to the disco era). It's such a great song and Melinda did a nice job with it. I think she does better with more up-tempo songs rather than the ballads. I enjoy it when she really blasts a song with her amazing vocals.

Going next was Blake singing, "This is Where I Came In." I am overjoyed when I hear he picked this song. I know it well and it's one of my favorites from the Bee Gees most recent album. That's probably why nobody is all that familiar with it, because their last album did not do as well. It's the cover song from that album and the Bee Gees did such a great job with it. As for Blake's rendition, I didn't care for it as much. I think he deviated from the original melody way too much and made it sound awkward. I thought the arrangement was excellent, though, and he made it sound edgier, up-beat, and more current. The judges didn't seem to think that highly of it, however.

Lakisha is next singing "Run to Me." Another song I am not that familiar with and I end up being bored by her. I think she puts herself in a very vulnerable position this week - something to which she may not recover from. Not including last week, Lakisha has really taken a slide ever since the very start of season six. She has gone from good, mediocre, bad, and now to worse. The little run at the end of the song was nice, but that is about all I can compliment her on with this performance.

Last but not least, Jordin Sparks. She sings "Woman in Love." Yet another song I really do not know all that well. Despite that, I thought she did a nice job with it. Probably not quite as good as her previous song, but she proved to be the most consistent performer of the night. She definitely belongs this far into the competition and should have very little trouble reaching the finale. And make it two weeks in a row that Randy did not mention Jordin's age. I think he's finally over it!

Now I bet you all want to know who I think will be voted off this week. Alright, here goes. I think it's going to be really close between Blake and Lakisha. Judging the performances from these two last night, I'll say Blake goes home tonight. Neither one of his songs really "wowed" the judges and they at least had some good things to say about Lakisha's second song. I would much prefer that Lakisha goes first before Blake and that very well may happen. But I have a gut feeling Blake will be given the axe tonight. He had a nice ride, I must say.

American Idol Top 6 (x2)

It's a new month and the Idol recaps continue. After last week's non-elimination round, two will go home during this week's results show. This week's celebrity mentor is Jon Bon Jovi. I have been very impressed with the major performers that Idol has been able to attract this year. Bon Jovi is a well known group with a countless number of hits from the 80's, 90's, and today. This will be a fun week to watch and should be enjoyable for the contestants as well. Let the fun begin!!

Phil is up first singing "Blaze of Glory." I don't know why, but it always seems Phil is first or is in the first group of performers. If they are just randomly drawing names, I think Phil has been pretty lucky the last three weeks. Phil is really starting to come into his own in this stage of the competition. I thought the movement through the audience and on the stage was very cool and he didn't stutter a bit. He really rocked the song out and you could tell he had been practicing the song for fifteen years (as he said). Even though I thought it was a very impressive performance, Simon's criticism may end up hurting Phil.

Up next is Jordin and I really have to be concerned for her after this week's performance. She took on one of Bon Jovi's more difficult songs to sing, "Living on a Prayer." It was pretty obvious that rock songs are out of her league, and she seemed to struggle with the song. It was definitely too low for her range and even though she was quite good with the high range in the song, she was still out of her element tonight. Probably the weakest vocal of the night and I really hope it doesn't end up hurting her because Jordin is one of my favorites. It wasn't terrible, but Jordin is definitely not a rocker. Again, Simon criticizes the look of a performer which he should not. Why is that important when it's a singing competition?

Lakisha is next and just as the judges commented after her performance, Lakisha is back. She had her struggles the past three weeks with poor song choices and sub-par singing, but she picked a great Bon Jovi song to sing in "This Ain't a Love Song," one that I wasn't all that familiar with. But she did very well with the song. The low notes always seem to be a problem for her which we heard in the beginning of the song, but she really ramped up to the higher notes and hit them with force. It will be interesting to see how much last week's performance will end up hurting her during this week's elimination.

Going fourth was Blake singing "You Give Love a Bad Name." Blake went totally contemporary with the song and took a major risk by changing this classic and adding his own elements, including beat boxing. It was a risk but one that he excelled at. He did a marvelous job with the song and had everyone in the audience up on their feet. Honestly, he could bring that song back and make a hit song out of it with the changes he made. Blake is one cool character and knows when to do the right thing. He has the instinct of a singer and knows when a change is for the good. He is not at all afraid of taking a risk.

Chris is next singing "Wanted Dead or Alive." Sound familiar? That's right, it was sung by Chris Daughtry during last season's American Idol. Daughtry sang it on a variety of talk shows after his shocking elimination from Idol and really did an amazing job with the song then. How could Chris Richardson handle being compared to the Daughtry rendition? He seemed to do a good job with the song. Probably not as good as Daughtry, but he didn't make me want to cover my ears, either. Obviously it's not the kind of song Chris likes to sing, but he did an admiral job with it. I got a kick out of his facial expressions on the song, anyways. He really acted the rocker type well.

Melinda wraps up the show singing one of Bon Jovi's recent hits "Have a Nice Day." It surprises me that not too many people are familiar with this song, since it's probably the biggest Bon Jovi hit recently. I know I heard it on the radio plenty of times three or four years ago. Clearly Melinda is not a rock singer and she looks absolutely uncomfortable at times singing this song. Her voice seems awkward to me at different points in this song; I just can't exactly describe how awkward it sounds. This probably wasn't my favorite performance from her, but she still did a great job with it. It should keep her around for another week. I had to laugh when she used the "bring it on" hand gesture when the lyric "when the world gets in my face" came around. It was useful for her.

Now the moment of truth. Which two performers go home during the results show? Based on the results of last week, I still think Lakisha will be going home. I think her vote totals will be too low, regardless of how well she did this week. As for the other performer eliminated, I think it's a toss-up between Chris Richardson and Phil. If you look at the past two weeks, Chris probably sang the weakest. How much will Jordin's performance hurt her this week? I think she could be another wild-card for landing in the bottom three (if they even go that route this week). It will be interesting to see tonight during the results show.

American Idol Top 6

It's a new week, and that means another American Idol recap! This week it's inspirational song, all leading up to American Idol's big "Idol Gives Back" campaign and two-hour show tomorrow night. A bunch of high-caliber singers will be performing tomorrow night and Ryan Seacrest promises a huge "shocker" in the history of the show. We'll see how big it ends up being. All that is tomorrow, so let's get started with the performances!

Chris Richardson leads off tonight, singing one of my favorite Eric Clapton songs "Change the World." To use a term uttered by Randy or Paula, Chris started off pitchy with the song, but I think he quickly rebounded. I thought it was a great song choice for him and recovered nicely after stumbling a bit in the beginning. The key question is, will it be a performance that saves him from being eliminated? We are getting down to the nitty gritty and I honestly believe Chris ends up in the bottom three this week, but not without trying.

Melinda is next singing a Faith Hill song, one that I'm not familiar with. Despite that, I think she did a fantastic job with the song, as usual. Some of my comments are like a broken record because she's such a flawless singer. A few weeks back she had a hicup but so far, is one contestant that has yet to be in the bottom three. It probably wasn't my all-time favorite performance from her, but I still think she did a great job with it. And despite her never being in the bottom three yet, I think it will remain that way this week. She's safe.

Going third tonight was Blake and he took a huge risk when he chose John Lennon's "Imagine." Just as Simon said, it's one of the greatest songs of all-time and how can you not compare Blake's to the original? I didn't think it was a spectacular performance, but I still thought it was quite good. I think Blake handles lower-key songs pretty well, but I think his forte is more with the more up-tempo songs. Usually when he goes that route, he gets favorable comments from the judges. Still, he should be safe this week.

Another risk-taker this evening was Lakisha. I thought she learned a valuable lesson from previous weeks that it's hard to take on songs originally performed by Ameircan Idol winners (such as the Carrie Underwood song Lakisha sang before). But she takes on a Fantasia song and it just did not live up to the original. I thought Lakisha had the weakest performance of the night. I especially thought the beginning was rather awkward and the remainder of the song wasn't much better (she started shouting again). Lakisha has really fallen on hard times and I think it may be the end for her this week. Bottom three.

Phil Stacey goes fifth and after an exceptional performance last week, Phil really built up on that momentum from country week. He went with a Garth Brooks song and although it didn't sound the least bit like a country song, he had another great week vocally. I realized this week that there are times when Phil sounds a lot like Michael Bolton during certain melodies. Not that that fact is ever going to hurt him because he seems to be really charging at the end of this competition and making a name for himself. Earlier on in the top-12, he had some performances that really made him look like a laughingstock. I think Phil will land in the bottom three, but he will not be eliminated.

And last but not least for this week is Jordin. What a way to end this week. At first, I wasn't sure if she picked the right song, but I was quickly proved wrong. I love the emotion she expresses in her face when she's singing the more serious parts of her songs. She has tremendous compasion when it comes to singing and week after week she has been stepping up and making a name for herself. After this week's performance, I think Jordin is the favorite to win it all. I think Melinda is growing a little stale with the fans and if Jordin keeps this up, she'll be this year's American Idol winner. Safe.

It's getting extremely difficult in this stage of the game as to who will wind up in the bottom three. I think it's safe to say who the likely candidate for elimination will be this week. But for a recap, I believe Phil will end up in the bottom three but will be sent back to safety. The bottom two will be Chris and Lakisha, and Lakisha will be eliminated from American Idol. Although I think you could pick Blake as a wild-card to the bottom three, since he was there last week. Needless to say, I think things will get very interesting week after week as we head towards the Idol finale in May.

He's Gone!

Can you believe it finally happened? If you haven't heard, you probably live under a rock. But in case you didn't hear about the conclusion of this week's American Idol results show, Sanjaya was finally voted off. It should've happened much earlier, but now that he's officially gone, he is going to be missed. Yes, I am being serious. Just when you think American Idol couldn't get any more buzz, Sanjaya brought with him a media storm of conversation. Week after week, it wasn't just about his poor singing, but also his plethora of hair styles. Simon hounded on him constantly, week after week, and it made for good comedy. I really believe the Sanjaya-delerium peaked when the camera panned upon a girl who was bawling her eyes out in the audience at the vision of Sanjaya. And the thing of it is, we may never see the likes of Sanjaya again. Sure, we've had William Hung, but he never made it to Hollywood. Scott Savol acutally could sing somewhat. But Sanjaya? There wasn't a week that he was spectacular. Melinda? Yes. Blake? Yes. Lakisha? Yes. Sanjaya? No way. He is going to be one of those memorable contestants that will stand out forever, and will be talked about for a very long time.

And since thing blog is about American Idol, I thought I'd discuss another thing about the show that I find pretty intriguing. It seems there are two groups of people when it comes to American Idol. You either love it or hate it. There are very few in between. Usually the people who hate the show dispise everything there is about it and can't even fathom watching one minute of it. But then there are the people who love it and can't get enough of the show. So you either love it or hate it. What is your opinion of the show?

I figured I would sneak in a quick blog tonight as I will be tied up the next couple of nights working 12-hour shifts. But the nice part is, after this weekend, it's the easy part of the schedule. Next weekend is my long weekend (count 'em, five days off). Then I work five days of afternoons and then it's another three-day weekend! Yes, the 12's are no fun - in fact, they suck! But this schedule definitely has its perks (more days off). There are still detractors to the schedule (one such guy continues to state how he "hates" the schedule emphatically), but I am not one of them. Sometimes, change is good and you never know exactly how good it can be until you try it. I think that's what some people have been finding out these past four months.

It's looking to be a beautiful weekend here in the Upper Peninsula, as we'll be seeing our warmest temperatures of the season thus far. Remember a week or so ago when I was complaining about the constant snow? Well, that's all but a memory. The high temperature on Sunday is expected to reach 77 degrees. Can you believe it after the 50+ inches of snow we've received thus far in April? The snow is quickly disappearing (in fact, mainly snow piles remain) and thoughts of summer are not that far away. I love this time of year. Get out and enjoy your weekend, where ever you are.

Not Feeling Well...

I don't know what it is, but I've been living with a problem for far too long. I have my good days and bad. Right now I am just not feeling that great. And no, it's not a cold or the flu, either. I have been putting off going to the doctors for fear of tests and finding out exactly what's wrong with me. Three or four years ago, I went to the doctor for pain and discomfort on my right side just below the rib cage. I even had an ultrasound performed to see if there was anything wrong with my kidney or liver. Everything checked out normally. I had blood work done and even that came back normal. Then the pain went away. It wasn't a severe pain, but just discomfort and I'd feel uncomfortable in that part of my body. Every now and again, it would return, but would be gone within a week. I've also been living with a frequent dry mouth. It's one thing that never seems to go away. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and my mouth is so dry. This is a symptom that leads me to believe I may be diabetic, but I have not really experienced any other symptom - at least nothing obvious - than that. Diabetes is something I do not want to deal with. Checking your blood all of the time and giving yourself shots is not something I look forward to doing. But if my kidneys are starting to get affected, I better end this charade once and for all.

I can imagine some of you becoming quite concerned with the paragraph I just wrote above. Don't worry - I plan on making an appointment for myself tomorrow morning. I may need some support in the future whatever the diagnosis is for me. Like I said, I don't want to alarm anyone, but I am just putting people on notice that my life may change somewhat soon and I need people there to help me get through this (other than my family). You just never know what you're gonna find out when you go in for a check-up. If it's something like diabetes, then I can live with it. All I know is I need to take care of myself instead of letting this go on for days on end. Within the past few days, I've been experiencing discomfort from both my kidneys. The previous weekend, when I worked two 12-hour shifts, my left kidney was sore as heck. I thought maybe I had strained a muscle in my back, but I am beginning to think it may be something more. Once in awhile I get a pain in the center of my back near my spine as if something is there that shouldn't be, like a knot. On my right side below the rib cage, every once in a great while, I experience a very sharp sudden pain that makes breathing very difficult. But I am able to breath through it and the pain goes away. Like I said, that pain is very rare. But I experience it every now and again. These are just some of the symptoms I've experienced long term and short term. It's time to get myself taken care of once and for all.

You know, I've come to realize that life is way too short and I need to quit putting off going to the doctors. They are there to help anyone who has medical problems. And maybe my problem is that I worry too much. We can't always be healthy and many people need medication to make their lives enjoyable. Maybe that's my only problem. Whatever the case, I'm sure you'll hear more about it in the weeks and months ahead. This is the first time I am disclosing this on-line and this has been more or less a secret of mine for awhile. So to who ever is reading this, try not to be concerned about me. I have a lot of life to live and I have no intention to go down so soon.

American Idol - Top 7

It's country week on American Idol, which proved very interesting for some contestants tonight. I thought many would struggle but all in all, most everyone gave a decent performance. I am not very big on country, but there are a few songs I know thanks to cross-overs. Definitely not my favorite genre week that American Idol does, but it's not my least favorite, either. Let's get on with the critiques!

Phil started the show off first tonight. Maybe the producers put him up first so they could get through the misery right away. We all know that Phil is not going to be the American Idol. But I was rather surprised how well he did this week. He actually was decent with his song and did a nice job of leading the show off tonight. Maybe he'd do well with country afterall. SAFE

Jordin was up next and one thing you can expect with her is consistency. Week after week, she has been consistent no matter what the genre is. Tonight was no exception, in fact, I think she had the best vocal of the night. She did an AMAZING job with the song and you could really tell her performance was excellent when the crowd cheered and cheered when she was done. I really enjoyed the emotion she portrayed in the song, from very serious in the beginning to a glowing smile in the end. It's like she portrayed the emotion of the song from her facial expressions. Excellent performance. SAFE

Going third was Sanjaya and he is certainly NEVER consistent week after week. I thought maybe, just maybe he'd build on the momentum from last week where he actually sang half-way decent. Boy, was I wrong. Just as Randy desrcibed it, it was absolutely karaoke. He lacked confidence, it was very flat, and it was as if he had trouble staying on tune. I don't know why Sanjaya just can't sing decent for two weeks straight or at all. BOTTOM THREE

Lakisha was the performer that marked the mid-way point of the top seven. I thought she took a big risk when she picked Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Takes the Wheel," a former American Idol. And unfortunately, it did not work well for her at all. It was the wrong country song for her and I agreed with the judges whole heartedly in their remarks. After starting out very strong in this competition, she has struggled in recent weeks and she runs the risk of being eliminated here soon. BOTTOM THREE

Up next was Chris and once again, I was not blown away by his performance. I thought last week was better for him and this week's song started off with some pitch problems. I think Chris always does a decent job but never has the performance that really "wows" a person. This week was no difference, and it was probably one of his weakest in awhile. It wasn't a performance to remember, that's for sure. BOTTOM THREE

Melinda was up next and after an 0ff-week last time around, she does a much better job during country week. She picked the perfect song for her, which was an upbeat, happy song, and really delievered it well. A definite improvement over last week and it was a performance I enjoyed listening to. I had to agree with Simon's comments about her surprised reaction once her singing has concluded. Yes Melinda, you really are that good. Time to get over it. SAFE

Last but not least is Blake Lewis. What a way to end the night. Blake is another performer that has been rather consistent week after week no matter what the genre is. He sang a song that was even recognizable to me, "Where the Stars go Blue" sung by Tim McGraw on the country side, but also covered by the Corrs. A near flawless performance from Blake who solidified his place as one the top performers of this season. SAFE

So this week, Sanjaya, Lakisha, and Chris run the risk of being eliminated. When it comes down to it, I believe it will be Chris' week to leave. I don't believe he has done enough in recent weeks to strengthen his position in this year's competition. Don't get me wrong, I'd be more than thrilled to see Sanjaya go this week, but I think he'll stick around one more time before finally getting the boot next week. As we get closer and closer to the finale, Sanjaya's chances of sticking around get slimmer and slimmer.

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As a side note, I feel it's an appropriate time to discuss the horrific shooting incident at Virginia Tech University yesterday. I probably would not have discussed it in a blog posting until I made a sad discovery earlier today. I frequently visit a sports message board called motownsports.com. Although I am not an official member there, I visit it often to get caught up regarding the latest news on the Detroit Tigers. This forum covers all of the major sporting teams in the Detroit area. The most popular section of the forum is for the Tigers. One of the active members of this forum went by the name of estrepe1. His real name was Brian Bluhm, and happened to be one of the victims from this tragedy. He was 25 and a graduate student at VT and only needed a couple of weeks before he officially received his graduate's degree. But it was all for naught thanks to a senseless idiot who went on a rampage. Brian racked up over 35,000 posts on motownsports.com and was well known throughtout the Detroit Tigers on-line community. He sported an avatar of Hobbes from the old newspaper comic "Calvin and Hobbes" and always posted an animated image of Hobbes jumping up and down when the Tigers won during a game day thread on motownsports.com. Even though I did not directly know Brian and only knew him from his appearance at motownsports, I find myself connected to the tragedy in Virginia in some way. He didn't know me, but I knew of him which made it shocking to find out that he was one of the 32 victims of this tragedy. He had such an amazing future ahead of him and wound up being in the wrong place at the wrong time. RIP Brian. You will be missed for your excellent Tigers insight.

Enough is Enough

Okay, enough with the snow already!! It's April 12th and last night into this morning, we picked up another six to eight inches of snow. I thought this was supposed to be spring. You know spring RAIN showers bring May flowers? Well, except for the first couple days of this month, it hasn't been very spring-like at all. And I am getting pretty sick of it. I guess we really are paying for our late winter, which didn't begin until the middle of January. Even though it feels like the middle of winter, it's warm enough to produce heavy wet snow, which is exactly what fell during this latest storm. There's nothing worse to drive in than slush (except maybe for ice), and I know from experience after my adventure today.

I was driving along M-35, which had already been plowed and was just mainly wet. I had to make a decision, whether to continue on this road, or travel a county road that is paved but usually poorly plowed after a significant snowfall. Since there were two other cars ahead of me that continued on M-35, I decided to take my chances on the county road. As I started on the county road, I could tell it had not been taken care of at all. It was very slushy and shortly thereafter, I began losing control of the car. I was not traveling all that fast, roughly 35 MPH when the car began swerving. I tried maintaining control of the vehicle and attempted to drive into the swerves. That did not seem to help at all and at one point my car was sliding perpendicular to the surface of the road. A truck was traveling in the opposite lane and had slowed to a stop once he saw how much trouble I was experiencing. I managed to straighten the car out somewhat but I was in the other lane of traffic. I just couldn't get back into my lane as I was getting very close to the truck ahead. So I went and slammmed on my brakes. I stopped comfortably ahead of the truck but I was close to the snowbank of the road. I tried backing up, but my tires were just spinning. So I drove forward a bit but went too far and my front bumper ended up ontop of the snowbank. I truly was stuck now.

The driver of the truck ahead came out and gave me some assistance. He had a shovel in the back of his truck and started shoveling some of the snow from under the front bumper. Another vehicle that was coming from the opposite direction stopped just behind where my car was. A gentleman came out to help. I got a shovel out from the trunk of my car and did some shoveling around the front left tire. We had it pretty well shoveled out and decided to give it a try. The two guys were pushing on the front of the car as I backed out. After a strong push from the guys, I was out of the snowbank and back onto the road. Realizing that the county road was just too trecherous to make it the remainder of the way, I decided to turn around (in a well plowed driveway) and drive back onto the well-plowed state highway. The rest of the drive back home was much better and the roads treated properly. But, I couldn't help second guessing myself in how I handled getting stuck. I don't know if there was much I could've done differently. I wasn't really going that fast and I probably would've spun out regardless. One thing I am thankful for is that I regained enough control of the vehicle in that I didn't end up going in the ditch. And with a little shoveling and a push from some very helpful people, I was back on the road.

So you can understand why I am getting sick of winter. I am sick and tired of driving in sloppy conditions and on poorly treated roads, I am sick of brushing off my car, I am sick of bundling up for the cold, and I am sick of shoveling. Please mother nature, once and for all, bring us spring back!!

American Idol Top 8

We are getting closer and closer to the American Idol finale. Yes, we are still several weeks away, but it's amazing that this show began in January and it is now nearly the middle of April. Just goes to show you how quickly time passes. And so we begin this week's re-cap of American Idol's Top 8 from Season 6!

This week's theme is Latin music with guest mentor Jennifer Lopez. Yes...THE Jennifer Lopez. You know American Idol is HUGE when it starts drawing some of the biggest names in music and film.

Melinda starts it off this week with a decent performance. It wasn't anything over powering and she sang it well, as usual. Overall, I did have to agree with Simon in that it lacked personality. To be honest, though, I think anything Melinda sings is good. However, I think the last two weeks haven't lived up to her potential. I do think she's safe, however.

Lakisha goes next (two of the top three performers in this season's competition goes first) and in my opinion, it's an improvement over the past three weeks for Lakisha. She finally went with a more up-beat song and you could tell that she enjoyed singing it. The crowed enjoyed it and overall, I thought she did a nice job with it. Lakisha will be safe.

Chris goes third this week and sings a more contemporary/recent Latin song. I thought the very beginning was a bit too low of an octive for Chris. But he raised it up not long afterward and really did a nice job with the song. Contemporary songs really seem to do well for the contestants that sing them and this week, Chris should not land in the bottom three. He'll be safe.

Next up is Haley and although I liked her song selection, I just did not think she executed it all that well. I thought it may have been a little too fast for her and she seemed to get jumbled up in the lyrics at one point in the beginning. Had to love Simon's comment about her dressing with the least amount of clothing on to keep her in the competition. I think she'll land in this week's bottom three.

Phil was in this week's five spot and I thought it was an improvement over last week. You can tell he is not a favorite of the judge's and can't really do much to please them. Personally, I thought he over-sung the ending of the song and it was a little too over the top. He chose a contemporary song which may help him - but it won't be enough and he'll wind up in this week's bottom three.

Jordin was up next and I had to agree with Simon on his comments regarding the performances thus far. Jordin did a nice job with the song and she's proving to be one of season six's elite. However, I was not blown away by her performance - especially the beginning. Even though it may not have been her best week, she has proven to be a very authentic singer and can sing just about any kind of genre. Safe.

Up next was Blake and he was far and away the best performer of the night. He chose an excellent Latin song for himself - in fact a hit by J Lo's husband Marc Anthony. He made it very cool and contemporary and is also another one of season six's elite. I whole heartedly agree that he's the top male performer - a comment said earlier by Simon. Blake will be safe this week.

Last but not least is Sanjaya. You never know what you're gonna get with Sanjaya - wait, actually you do. Crap. The way he started it, I thought it was going to be a similar performance we're used to hearing from him. But then he picked it up and made it worth listening to. Maybe he found a genre that he's actually half-decent with. I think beginning this week, he'll start losing some steam with the voters, though - Howard Stern or not. Bottom three.

So in this week's bottom three, I have Haley, Phil and Sanjaya. They should be used to this position by now, particularly Phil and Haley. I don't think Sanjaya will go this week but will be eliminated within the next two or three weeks. We are coming upon the very elite of the competition and Sanjaya just doesn't stand out. Eventually, America will get it right.

I was sad to see Gina eliminated last week because I genuinely liked her. However, I don't think she would've lasted much longer beyond this week. She always was one of those middle-0f-the-pack singers but hey, at least she'll be in this year's American Idol tour.

That does it for this week. Check back in a week for the Top 7 recap.

A New Neighbor

Nearly two years ago, I wrote a blog on my TAIC message board about the passing of our next door neighbor in my hometown. Here is an exact copy of that blog:

April 28, 2005
You know, there's a certain song re-made a few years back by the Counting Crows called "Big Yellow Taxi." There's a line that goes "you don't know what you got 'till it's gone." Well it seems to me that line couldn't ring any truer yesterday and today. Our next door neighbor of 30 years (ever since my parents lived in our house) passed away yesterday morning. I wouldn't say we were extremely close neighbors, but we did help her out a lot and she was always kind and courteous to us whenever we saw her. Ever since I can remember, I've seen her mowing her lawn, hanging clothes, driving her car in and out of the garage, shoveling snow off the roof, walking down the driveway to get the newspaper, sitting on her front porch...and the list goes on. But suddenly, it's no more. Needless to say, she was old (83) and had increasing health problems over the years. In the last year, she had too many health problems that ultimately lead to her death. But it's not easy saying goodbye. Our faithful neighbor of so many years will no longer be there next door. That person to call in case we ever had any problems. Eventually we'll have to get used to the idea of having a new neighbor living next door; and it's completely unfathomable right now. So is the thought of that house staying empty until we get a new neighbor. There's so a lot of uncertainy, a lot of anxiousness, and really lots of reflextion. Our neighborhood is changing by the years and there's nothing to stop it. People move in and out; people die and people are born. It's actually the story of life, and it's occuring within my neighborhood. At least I can say I hold a lot of memories of my neighbor - all of them happy ones. At least nobody can take my memories away.

I bring this up because nearly after two years, it appears we are finally getting a new neighbor. I remember how empty and quiet the house next door and its yard seemed during that spring and summer after the neighbor lady died. It was an awkward time - and an even more startling thought then was fathoming us having a new neighbor. It just seemed totally impossible! But as the months went on, my family grew accustomed to it. Now, we are used to not having a neighbor and the adjustment period will once again begin. But the nice part is, I know the individual that is buying the house. He and his wife will be moving in during the next few months and he's someone that I hung out at school with - most notably during my senior year of high school. He's a good natured, honest individual that I know will take care of things over there. I know that he is not really a confrontational person and I have never seen him get very angry at anyone. Knowing this, it pleases me that he will become the owner of the property next door. He'll be someone I can visit (besides my parents) whenever I make the trek home on my days off.

It'll be interesting to see what he does with the place. The previous owner took great care of the property while she was alive. The year before she died, my dad pointed out to her a maple tree that was severely rotted and had the potential to fall on her home and cause serious damage. Not soon afterwards, she had a tree cutting service come in and cut down not only that tree, but two others. One of the other trees was this ugly looking white pine that rose many feet in the air and was 15 feet from our house. We always disliked this tree and even though it was real close to the property line (still on her property though), it still posed a threat it we ever got a bad wind storm. So my neighbor agreed to have this tree cut down as well (my dad even said she didn't like that tree). She always maintained the home and the property around it, but the place is in need of additional maintenance. The house will need to be re-painted or re-sided, windows re-painted or replaced, and a new roof installed on the back garage. These are things you notice while a house sits vacant and remains up for sale for many months. I have no doubt in my mind he'll make the place one of the best looking houses in Chatham once again.

In the meantime, nothing has changed. The property next door still looks quiet and unassuming. And with two feet of snow on the ground, the new neighbors probably won't be officially moved in for awhile yet. However, it won't be long until my family gets accustomed to having a next door neighbor once again.

It's Supposed to be April!

Today is April 5th and outside, it looks like the middle of winter. In fact, it's rather difficult to look outside my window because of the huge snow drift that covers the lower half. Our major blizzard started Tuesday night and hasn't let up since. It's starting to calm down now, but the winds are still quite brisk and the snow is still falling. We've picked up anywhere from 8 to 20 inches around the area - and it's so hard to measure because its been so windy. Remember that blog entry I wrote a month ago saying that we don't get the winter storms like we used to? Well, I'm biting my tongue today.

Yesterday was a nightmare driving to and from work. On the way in, U.S. 41; the major highway in our area, was not plowed all that well. It's normally a five-laned highway but was reduced to just two lanes in each direction. I was in with ten other cars heading west going 35 miles an hour. At least it was daylight which made it half-way decent to see, but when the wind was gusting, you really had to watch where you were going. Seeing how 41 was and knowing that the county road commission usually focuses their resources on keeping the U.P.'s busiest highway open, I considered turning around and staying home. But how could I? I was afraid of getting stuck. So I moved along and eventually turned off on M-35, a state highway. It seemed to be plowed better but underneath the snow was a sheet of ice. I think the fastest I drove was 40 miles an hour and even that was pushing it. I was actually surprised at how well this road was plowed over 41. Usually it's the opposite.

I would say getting home from work was even worse. This time, M-35 was the route that was in very poor shape. In fact, in a few spots, it was only open to one lane of traffic. I don't even think that road was plowed until before I made it into work! I was basically following the ruts from the previous vehicles that traversed the road. Again, I only went 35 to 40 MPH and since it was night time, the visibility was even worse. When the wind gusted, you REALLY couldn't see anything. But as soon as I made it onto 41, it was plowed better and I felt more comfortable. One of the biggest fears I have is sliding off the road and being stranded out in the middle of no where. There are many spots on the route to work that are forestland. No houses or businesses for many miles. I guess it would kind of help to have a cell phone for that reason alone.

So the blizzard of 2007 lives on to this day, with no apparent end in sight. It will remain cold (temperatures only in the 20's) until at least Sunday with snow showers predicted until then. Whatever happened to spring? The month of March was relatively beautiful (yes, we did have our fair share of cold days, but no snow - certainly nothing like the past few days). Up until this storm, we had no snow on the ground! Spring was in full mode, with birds singing and flowers starting to come up from the ground. Oh how quickly things change. Then again, this is the Upper Peninsula. The weather is always unpredictable.

American Idol Top 9

We are now down to the top 9 in the American Idol competition. This week, the singers took on songs from the big-band era and had some help from legendary singer Tony Bennett. Probably one of my least favorite genres that American Idol covers, yet it proves to be very important when exposing this type of music to new generations. So it certainly does have a purpose especially when you consider how many people tune into AI whenever it's on the air. Lets get down to the critiques!

Blake Lewis is up first tonight and I must admit, I was not blown away by his performance. He certainly cannot twist in his usual beat-boxing schtick (two weeks in a row, to be exact). However, he does keep things contemporary and makes the song enjoyable. I especially liked the way he ended the song. Being that he is a sentimental favorite of mine, I think he's safe this week.

As Phil Stacey sang next, I could not get over how much he sounded like Frank Sinatra. I don't know if this was an intentional impersonation or not, but it was as if Sinatra was reincarnated. That may end up hurting Phil tomorrow night during the results show. Personally, I thought he did an admiral job with the song and enjoyed the ending. I think he'll be in this week's bottom three.

Going third this week was Melinda Doolittle. And to be honest, how else can I describe her exceptional singing week after week? I do agree with Simon in that the beginning was not as strong, but she really brought it home in the later half of the song and had the crowd on its feet, deservedly so. She remains American Idol's number one singer thus far. 100% safe this week.

Chris Richardson was up next (and now remains the show's only other "Chris" - I know, totally random). I wasn't blown away by his performance, either (not like the judges were). I thought he had pitch problems in the beginning of the song and he seemed to be singing weakly. However, I thought he did a nice job of wrapping the song up into something worth listening to in the end. Chris should be safe this week.

Jordin Sparks sang next and I was very impressed with her performance. She can sing just about any kind of genre of song without any flaws. She has such a sweet personality and an amazing voice and it seems to all be coming together for her. She gets stronger week after week and this week was no exception. Jordin is safe this week.

I felt sort of bad for Gina Glocksen this week since this genre had to make her feel a bit uncomfortable. However, I thought she did a good job with her song. It certainly wasn't on the same level as Melinda or Jordin - but she worked it out. As the judges commented, it was a nice, controlled performance. I don't think it will be enough to keep her out of this week's bottom three, however.

Up next was America's favorite "entertainer," Sanjaya Malakar. Now this kind of music seemed to be suitable for Sanjaya and I half-heartedly thought it was going to be a good week for him. It certainly wasn't top notch, that's for sure. Sanjaya once again came out meekly and whispered much of the song. He needs to be more confident when he sings and really belt out the lyrics. The notes were definitely not on pitch but even though he doesn't deserve to be in this competition, do you honestly think he's going home tomorrow? Sanjaya is safe (maybe a little reverse psychology will do the trick).

Haley Scornato was up after Sanjaya (and what an act to follow). I think Haley gets a bum rap a lot of times and the judges seemed to side-step from giving her a truthful critique to her performance tonight. She looked absolutely stunning in her dress - could be something that saves her from being eliminated. Probably the weakest female left in the competition, but I like her personality. I think she winds up in this week's bottom three.

Last but not least, it's Lakisha Jones. Much better than the two previous weeks, but I was not blown away by her performance. The beginning was probably the weakest of all and she seemed to have some pitch problems. However, she really belted it out in the middle and end and made it a memorable performance. She has such a powerful voice and she knows exactly when to use it. This week Lakisha's safe.

I was thrilled to hear Ryan mention that Kelly Clarkson will be making a return to American Idol during a future episode. I've always been a fan of Kelly's work and even though I didn't watch the first season of the show, she definitely was the perfect choice for the show's inaugural season. It will be fun to watch her on the American Idol stage one additional time.

So in this week's bottom three, I predict Phil, Haley, and Gina. Personally, I think it's Phil's week to be eliminated, but don't take my word for it.

See you next week!

American Idol Top 10

This week's recap is going to be shorter than last, thanks to work (last midnight shift of this stretch - so all those who've been looking to chat with me, I'll be around more this weekend). And with the clock ticking, off we go!

I actually missed Lakisha and Chris's performances - so I can only give an opinion based on the recap at the end of the show. It sounded to me like Lakisha did her usual thing and will probably be safe. It doesn't seem like it was the right song choice for her, however. But she has such a strong voice, I'd be surprised if she's even in the bottom three. As for Chris, it seemed to me he had more of a forgettable performance. I liked the song, but he didn't seem to do enough with it. I did catch the judges comments, and they did not seem to be too thrilled by what he did. Chris runs the risk of being in this week's bottom three, in my opinion.

I think Gina Glocksen had the strongest performance of the night. It was the perfect song for her, just as the judges said. It's all about song selection in this stage of the game, and when the contestants pick the perfect song, they end up being safe. I think Gina will be in the top three this week. She's one of my female performers and she brings a very unique personality to this season's American Idol.

Once again, Sanjaya proved he doesn't deserve to be in the competition. He's more of a clown than anything and doesn't take American Idol that seriously. I don't get why the spotlight has to be on his hair. As Simon always says, this is a singing competition. He makes a mockery of things - and his hairstyle this evening was an absolute joke. I agreed with Randy and Paula's comments that he really CAN sing if he absolutely tried. Even though he should be gone, be probably won't be - even if he forgot the words to the song he sung!

Haley did an admiral job with her song, but it wasn't as strong as last week. There were moments when I thought she whispered and it was hard to understand what she was singing. I thought the ending of the song was the strongest for her. I think she will be safe.

I have to say that Phil was the most improved this week compared to last. He really should have been eliminated last week, but was not even in the bottom three. He dodged a bullet and he made up for it in a big way this week. The song choice was excellent for him and it showed that he doesn't need to sing the rock songs to excel. He should be safe.

As for Melinda, it wasn't my favorite song choice for her, but she did her usual outstanding job and made the song listenable. She is definitely the front-runner in the competition and I think everyone knows it. I just have to wonder if she'll ever not act so surprised when she's done singing her song and hears the tremendous ovation. Yes Melinda, you're that good.

Blake left out the beat boxing this week, which I thought was a good decision, considering the song he chose. I wasn't exactly blown away by his performance, but it was still quite good. As Simon commented, he's definitely the strongest male performer. I don't know if he'll get to the finale, but he'll be close.

I thought Jordin chose a rather interesting song to sing, considering it was a Gwen Steffani hit (who just so happened to be this week's celebrity singer to critique the performers). I didn't think it started out that great for her, but she really nailed it in the middle and end. I am beginning to think she's rising above Lakisha to be the #2 female performer. She's young, but she can really sing.

I was surprised last week when Chris was in the bottom two, especially when a couple of others had sung weaker. I was not really fond of Chris's song choice this week. Just like Jordin, he picks a Gwen/No Doubt song. Yes, it did have a touch of an R & B feel to it. I just don't think he's one of the stronger competitors in season six and is more in the middle of the pack. However, he should be safe this week.

So those who run the risk of being eliminated this week are Chris Sligh, Sanjaya, and possibly Haley. But even if a contestant sings the worst, it's no guarantee that they'll be eliminated. So, tomorrow will more than likely be another interesting results show.

Four Years...

It's hard to believe it's almost four years since I last saw our pet dog, Spike, alive. The anniversary of his passing is this Monday (March 26), and before I forget, I thought I'd write about the day in which we made the difficult decision to have him put down. It's amazing how attached you become to your pets; but it's really not hard to understand, especially when you consider how long they have been with you. In Spike's case, he was alive with us for 12 years. That's a long time, especially in dog years. But, it's never long enough.

Leading up to the event, we knew that Spike was not himself. True, he was getting old, but once he would no longer eat his favorite doggie treats, something was really wrong. His breathing became abnormal - short, staggered breaths. He also had great difficulty getting up and walking around. It's why you often saw him laying and not even rising when one of us came outside. It was time to bring him in to the vet; but it wasn't going to be easy. He did not liked to be lifted, but it was the only way we were getting him in the back seat of the car. My dad had that difficult task. Spike snarled and growled, but my dad got him into the car; setting him on a blanket. It was time to take that fateful trip to the vet.

I'll be perfectly honest, having him put down NEVER crossed my mind before or during the trip to the vet. I don't know why; maybe I was in denial that he was really that sick. I figured there was something the vet could do; maybe give him some pills or do something to make him feel better. But the fact of the matter was, he was in too bad of shape to have anything done to him. And we would soon find that out after talking to the vet.

It had been years since Spike was last at the vet. In fact, he was only one or two years old when we took him in after he was hit by a truck. We lived out in the country where getting the regular animal vaccinations was not enforced by no means. Spike never got sick and as long as he stayed around in the backyard, we knew he was pretty safe. He suffered a severe injury to his head when he was hit by a truck. It's amazing to all of us that he didn't die from the accident. In fact, my dad thought he was in such bad shape that he went and borrowed a gun to put him down. After laying motionless, Spike suddenly disappeared, and we soon had to find him. He was under the front deck, panting, and seemed to be happy, despite nearly being killed and in obvious pain. That trip to the vet cost hundreds of dollars after the vet ended up doing surgery to Spike's head. I suspect that Spike was never 100% normal from that point on, but he seemed to do quite well for a long time. We had been through a lot together, not just me, but the rest of my family as well. You can see why it was so difficult to make the decision and have him put away.

After examining Spike, the vet had a look of despair on his face. Spike was very uncomfortable, and lifting him onto the examination table was no easy task. He had cancer and the outlook was not good. The vet even said that surgery probably wouldn't even help matters and he may not live much longer; even after surgery. The fact is, he was old. That's when it finally hit me, "Oh god, we have to put him down." That's when I started to get very emotional. I tried holding back the tears, but I just couldn't help it. Before long, I was sobbing away, looking for a kleenex. 12 years together, and this was how it was going to end. Even though I wanted Spike to feel better and to have the surgery, I knew it just was not practical. To have him put down would end his suffering. And that's what my dad and I both decided on.

After saying our final goodbyes and giving him one last pet, we left the room. I had a feeling Spike knew what was happening to him, as he was barking and growling. They even had to put a muzzle on him - just in case he would bite someone. I sat in the waiting room, crying my eyes out, listening to the barks starting to fade out. And then, they ended. He was gone. That didn't make me feel any better and I was relieved to be out of the vet's office. We still had a couple of feet of snow left and the ground was still quite frozen. A part of me wanted us to take Spike's body home and give him a proper burial. But it just wasn't possible and the vet ended up disposing the body. The ordeal was finally over.

I spent a good period of time in mourning after Spike's passing. Certain songs on the radio became very difficult to listen to as they reminded me of him. The backyard was very eerie, due to his lacking presence. Things just weren't the same; but I knew that it would take time to adjust to being without a family pet. And eventually, things weren't as difficult.

Now that its been four year since that day, I know we made the best decision for everyone, even Spike. As I said earlier in the blog, he no longer suffered from the cancer that was limiting his life. 12 years is a long time and I have many wonderful memories of him as out pet. Those are the memories I will cherish for a very long time into the future. RIP Spike.

American Idol Top 11

It's another week, and now that I am feeling much better, it's time for a full recap of this evening's two-hour American Idol! This week's theme was songs from the British Invasion. A lot of these songs seemed to be new to many of the contestants but I can tell you one thing, I knew a majority of them myself, since I grew up listening to a lot of oldies songs (all thanks to my parents).

Regarding last week, it was no surprise that Brandon was voted off. He struggled for quite a few weeks and I think him forgetting the words was the final nail in the coffin. That does not mean he was worse than Sanjaya, because he wasn't. But for some reason, Sanjaya is just so popular. A lot of people are saying it's because of his hair; other speculation is that he's getting votes because of the website votefortheworst.com. Hopefully one of these times, he'll be out.

Here's tonight's recap:

Haley Scarnato sings Vonda Shephard's "Tell Him." I actually enjoyed her performance and thought she did a decent job. She looked very sexy and she proved that she can sing (and remembered the words to the song). Definitely not a forgettable performance and I've got to believe she will get a lot of votes from the male contingent. This week: safe

Chris Richardson sang a nice rendition of the song "Don't Let the Sun Get You Crying" by Gerry and the Pacemakers. He gets major props from the judges and I think he deserves it this week. This song was definitely more low key than some of the previous songs he's done and it worked well for him. He showed he can mix it up with his song selections and that's always a good thing. This week: safe

Stephanie Edwards sings a Dusty Springfield hit, "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me." I think she does a decent job, but it's certainly not a memorable performance. I think Stephanie has lost her edge some in recent weeks and has become a middle-of-the-pack performer. I think she runs the risk of being in this week's bottom three by this performance; yet I don't think she'll be out. This week: possibly bottom three

Blake Lewis performs a Zombies' classic in "Time of the Season." He's probably my favorite male performer and is very talented. His beat-boxing works well in just about every song he sings and it's no different with tonight's performance. Just as the judges commented, he turned a 40-year old song into something contemporary and could be a hit on today's radio. He'll be sticking around for awhile. This week: safe

Lakisha Jones sings "Diamonds are Forever" by Shirley Bassey. For me, I thought it was just an average performance by Lakisha this week. I did not care much for the song and thought it was kind of weird. I think Lakisha did an admiral job in making the song listenable. Lakisha was more toned down this week and although it worked last week, it wasn't so good this time around and I think the song contributed to that. Even though it wasn't her best performance, she's not going anywhere. This week: safe

Phil Stacey performs The Nashville Teens' hit "Tobacco Road" from the 1960's. Phil tries to be a rocker this week and it did not work at all for me. Certain people can pull it off, but I think Phil should try to stay away from rock songs. I really think he should've toned it down. After a nice performance last week, Phil will be once again in danger of being in the bottom three and eliminated from the competition (unless by some miracle, Sanjaya actually gets voted out this week). This week: in serious danger

Jordin Sparks sings "I Who Have Nothing" by Terry Knight and the Pack. Jordin is really rising to the occasion in this competition and it was another stellar night for her. Again, this was not a favorite song choice for me personally, but I think Jordin did an amazing job with it and made it easy to listen to. Simon commented that this was a depressing song, but it wasn't so bad for me. I think she's a serious contender for the finals and with performances like this, she will be in it to win it. This week: safe

Sanjaya Malakar performs the song "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks. As Randy and Paula commented, it was an improvement over previous weeks and he did break out of his shell more. However, it wasn't much of an improvement and was still quite weak. All he basically did was more shouting and a lot of his notes were still off the mark. He's got to do a lot better and he still has not proven he is worthy in this competition. This week: should be gone

Gina Glocksen sings the Rolling Stones' classic "Paint it Black." Personally, I thought it wasn't too bad and I was rocking out with her. But that was probably because it's such a well-known song covered by one of the greatest Rock n Roll bands of all time. True, some of the notes were off but she was having a blast singing the song. She's a favorite of mine, but I'll agree that it wasn't one of her stronger performances. This week: possibly bottom three

Chris Sligh performs "She's Not There," another classic by the Zombies. Another decent performance by Chris and you had to enjoy the way he moved throughout the theatre; first going through the audience, then going up on the podium behind the judges, and then finishing the song up on stage. Although I think Chris is more of a middle-of-the-pack singer, he's enjoyable to listen to. This week: safe

Melinda Doolittle sings "As Long as He Needs Me," another song credited by Shirley Bassey and one from the musical "Oliver." Melinda once again brings it home and although it started off rather slow, she really notched it up in the middle and end. She continues to shine and there's still no doubt in my mind that she is the favorite. I think with Lakisha faltering a bit this week, this raises Melinda up even more. This week: definitely safe

That wraps it up for this week. If the voting goes the way it should, Phil or Sanjaya will be gone. However, you can never be too sure with this show.

American Idol Top 12

Tonight is the launch of my first ever American Idol review! Every week, I will be posting recaps of the songs that the contestants sang and give my own personal review. Tonight's recap is going to be rather short because I am battling a nasty cold and I am not feeling 100 percent. So here in a nutshell; my favorite performances from tonight:

Melinda Doolittle: This woman can sing. She has to be my favorite performer thus far during season 6 and to be frank, this is her competition to win. As long as she keeps doing what she does, she'll have no trouble reaching the finals.

Lakisha Jones: Such a strong voice and she can really belt it out. She's got a real powerful instrument and just as the judges commented, she held back a bit in the song which really worked to her advantage.

Jordin Sparks: This girl has a totally infectious personality and it is evident in her singing. She has a strong stage presence for someone only 17 years old. Having her sing the final song proved to be a great way to end the show tonight.

And now, my least favorite performances from tonight:

Sanjaya Malakar: I really don't understand what's keeping him in this competition. His singing is horrible; in fact, there are many times when you can hardly hear him. His stage presence is clearly lacking and he may be just a bit too young for this competition (hey, some people do well at young ages, others not, like Sanjaya). And honestly, what is with his hair??

Brandon Rogers: He has been a total disappointment for a few weeks now. Supposedly he's been a background singer before but thus far has not done well enough to take the stage as a solo act. He is in serious danger of being eliminated.

Stephanie Edwards: She just did not 'wow' me like in previous weeks. I thought her song choice could've been better and forgetting the lyrics to the song seems to be an unforgettable instance, especially at this stage of the competition. I would not be surprised if she gets the boot, judging how things have gone for 'AI' the previous couple weeks.

Well, that wraps it up for this week's American Idol recap. Next time around, it should be more extensive with recaps for each of the contestants. I am going to head to bed early and try to recoup in time for work in the morning.

March Snow Storms

We've had some dandy snow storms in the past during the month of March. We just experienced another March snow storm here in the Upper Peninsula the past few days to add to the record books, but it's not going to be a very memorable one. We picked up around a foot of snow to add to the snow pack. And it's not the fluffy kind of snow, either, as there is a decent-amount of moisture to it. It really is not easy to move it around. It's currently snowing as we speak, with the storm enhancing squalls from Lake Superior. It would not surprise me if we picked up another six inches of snow before tomorrow morning. But we're already into the month of March and spring isn't that far away now.

I remember some pretty spectacular snow storms when I was a kid. This storm was a little too close by which didn't allow us to receive more system snow than what we could've. The winds also weren't as strong as what they could've been. If all of the right ingredients came together, we could be talking about six to eight foot snow drifts, strong winds, blizzard conditions, and storm totals nearing 30 inches. Those are the kinds of storms I remember when I was little. Usually we'd get this huge snow drift to form right in front of the house that would be so high in the air, almost up to the eves of the roof. The snowbanks would be quite high, as tall as the street sign near the end of the driveway. There would be snow as far as the eye can see. I could tell the winds would be howling when the little tag that hangs down from the electric meter on the exterior wall of my bedroom would rattle away, waking me up. But in the past few years, we really have not seen the blizzards from the days gone by. And by blizzards, I mean blizzards - strong winds, heavy snows, and snow days. I remember one winter, we missed close to ten days of school because of snow. One such school year, we had to make up a school day on Saturday! That's how many snow days we racked up. And although schools still close down because of this kind of weather, they usually open right back up the next day. We had bad storms in the past that would close down school for two straight days. Doesn't seem to happen that much anymore.

I remember one snow storm that was particularly severe. Our high school boy's varsity basketball team was competing in the regional tournament up in Marquette one day in March of 1997. We had an old fashioned blizzard going on, but despite the bad weather, we still had school, all because of the basketball game that evening. For some reason they couldn't postpone the game so they decided to hold school. When it was time for us to leave for the game, the weather was really nasty. My parents were deciding whether it was a good idea to even go, but I was rather insistent on going. So my dad and I traveled out on the roads. It wasn't a very good idea for us to go and we quickly found that out along the way. We experienced a heavy, blinding snow and frequent white-out conditions. Even part of the highway just south of the city had to be closed off because of the dangerous driving conditions. My dad found an alternative route to where the game was being played and we got to the gymnasium on time. But, because of the road closure, the basketball team was a good 45 minutes to an hour late. The wind was really involved in that storm and I knew afterwards it wasn't such a good idea to risk our lives just for some basketball game (especially one where we got hammered!). That stormy situation is one I will never forget.

The winter of 2006-07 is quickly coming to a close, yet that doesn't mean we won't see our fair share of snow and cold until spring finally starts to set in. April can be a rather snowy month around here, too. Judging from the way our winter started with a snow cover finally establishing itself around January 13th, I have a feeling we may end up paying for our unusual late start to winter early on. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

My Imaginary Town

When I was a little boy, I was rather infatuated with earth moving equipment and road construction. Back in 1987, a major water line was extended around our property, so I got to see large backhoes digging holes and moving dirt within close proximety. There was also a lot of bedrock in the ground (typically found in the area I grew up), so the construction crew had to do a lot of blasting. Just as they were ready to blast the ground, you'd hear a horn honk and then shortly there after, there'd be a large explosion that would rock the house. It was such a neat experience and it was fun watching it live and in person (of course, I was inside the house when they did all the blasting).

Then, six years later, the water line was extended across the road from our house. So again, I was able to witness much of the same work that went on years earlier. I've always enjoyed seeing this kind of work go on. When I was little, I was always thrilled to drive through a road construction project and see all of the big equipment around us as we drove by. And now that I am much older, I appreciate it even more because it is a sign of progress. I still enjoy driving through construction, unless it's on one of my usual routes; then it can be annoying. But no matter, I'm usually a patient person anyways.

My love of construction got me thinking of developing my "own" construction company when I was little. So I started thinking up all of these ideas and soon enough, my dream became a reality - in fantasy. At first the "headquarters" for my company was this black garbage bag in the woods. Yes, rather primitive, even for a kid. I knew that wasn't going to work, so I moved it to one of our storage buildings in the backyard. I started developing my own "network" of roads that I would maintain and "upgrade" as they needed it. I created my own road signs and posted them along the routes. I even made a business sign for my construction company and posted it outside of the storage shed on wooden stakes. I was having lots of fun in my own little made-up world. A lot of the roads that I developed weren't even on our property, since we lived on a rather small parcel of land. But our neighbors that owned the land didn't seem to care, so I went about my business. I would use the lawnmower to cut the grass along the roads to maintain them and if I'd find a low or uneven spot along the road, I'd start construction to "fix" the problem. Heck, I'd even post road construction signs and even planned detours if need be. I tell ya what, I tried to be as authentic as I could to the real thing. But I didn't really want too many people to know what I was doing. My parents and sisters knew what I was up to, but it kind of embarassed me when my friends or cousins would stop over for a "surprise" visit and see everything that I had going on. I guess I didn't want them to think I was weird, even though I was just a kid and only having some fun. But I still didn't let them stop me, and they never really made fun of me, either.

I even started developing my own "town" around our property. Houses sprang up along the "roads" that I maintained. A grocery store, retail store, a bank, and even a movie theatre all made up the businesses along my roads. Houses were being developed and I even started "selling" property to interested buyers. Of course, I was always dealing with imaginary people and there were never any buildings that came of this. But they were always in my mind and I knew exactly where these places were. I would even hold community events, such as a 4th of July celebration - complete with a parade, fireworks and all, a golf tournament, an alumni basketball tournament - with as many as 100 teams participating, and a community celebration, among others. I tell you what, I was never bored during summer vacation and made the most of my time.

I can't forget about the public school that was located within my "town," as well. It was a small, Kindergarten through 12th grade school that I would drive "bus" for. My bike was the school bus and I would usually just drop kids off after school (I never wanted to get up early just to pick up some imaginary kids - I wasn't that crazy). I would drive throughout my town and on all of my roads and drop kids off for the day. Even when I got a new bike, I would treat it as a new "school bus" as well. Once again, I was trying to be as authentic to the real thing, just as what happened with my real school. But I must admit, looking back on it now, I think sometimes I went a little too far in some of this stuff. But heck, I was just a kid. I was just having fun.

Even as winter came around, I acted more as a road commission than a construction company. I'd plow most of "roads" I maintained for the imaginary public. "Plowing" usually involved shoveling snow with a snow scoop and creating these huge mounds of snow along the roads. If we'd get a huge snow storm, it was hard to keep the roads plowed and eventually I ran out of room to store the snow. A few winters I remember giving up and just waiting for all the snow to melt. But the majority of the time, I'd keep things open. Gradually as I grew up, I'd cut back on my shoveling duties in the back yard. And even though I still do some shoveling in the backyard, it's not for the imaginary public like it used to. It's mainly now for the wild birds that come around in the winter to feed on the bird seed we put out. We also have a barel we burn papers and other burnables in year-round that is in the far corner of our property. Without those reasons, the backyard would probably be filled in with snow during the winter time.

I guess you could say I had a very creative imagination. But with most activities when you're a kid, you grow out of them. I remember a point where I said to myself, "you're getting too old for this." And from that point on, I didn't care to live in my imaginary world anymore. Besides, people would start thinking I'm insane if they still saw me posting road signs along my imaginary roads. Even today as an adult, I still walk through the backyard and remember certain spots where particular activities took place or where one of my roads had been. They are great memories I hold onto and ones that will live with me for along time.

A Shocking Death

I was surprised to learn about a car accident early last week that involved a relative in my family. I became shocked to learn that she had died. Her name was Vicky and was a second-cousin to me. We weren't all that close, but I remember her from the visits she made with her family during my town's Homecoming celebration each August. It was the one time of the year that I would see them, as they never visited any other time. She was married but had no children. But she is an individual I will never forget, and this blog will be a remembrance to her life.

I don't remember much about our visits anymore, but I remember her being a very friendly and outgoing person to talk to. She would discuss just about anything. One coversation I remember was quite vivid to me. Her father had just died less than a year or so (him being my great uncle, in fact), and she asked my dad what it was like to experience his father's death (since his dad/my grandpa passed away years earlier). Obviously it was still painful for her and it was kind of odd for me to hear my dad discuss the death of his father, because I could never recall him discussing his feelings about it. Because of this, it's one of those memories I will never forget.

She had already experienced a freak accident earlier in her life. I can't remember the exact details of the accident, but the car that she and her husband owned would not start. Unfortunately they tried using gas in the engine compartment and it exploded in Vicky's face. She had second and third degree burns on her face and was scarred for the rest of her life. She was lucky it wasn't as serious as it was and she wasn't seriously disfigured as you would think. But there were noticable scars on her face. Whenever my dad and I would visit her and the rest of her family, they'd always offer us candy, cookies, you name it. They were a family that liked to smoke and drink, so it was not uncommon to see them at the local bar drunk out of their minds. But they were fun people and liked to have a good time. You can't blame them for that. Just so long as they didn't get behind the wheel in that condition.

It had been at least three or four years since I had last seen them during Homecoming. Apparently they haven't even attended the town's celebration the past couple of years because of a family dispute. I think that's a shame, considering it was the only time they'd come to the U.P. during the year. And now Vicky won't ever be able to enjoy a U.P. summer's day again.

As I said earlier, Vicky was involved in a serious car accident sometime earlier this month and spent some time in the hospital recovering. She had experienced severe bruising in her brain, yet the hospital felt it was safe for her to recover at home. However, when her husband left and came back later, she was gone. I do not know the details as to why she died at home, but more than likely it was because of the injury to her brain. Either the swelling worsened or she experienced a sudden stroke due to the extent of her accident. I can't speculate because I don't know what really happened. But it's such a sad ending to such a vibrant person.

Needless to say, our time together was rather short, but Vicky is a person I will never forget. You hear about these kinds of accidents everyday. But when it involves a family member, it's even sadder to find out how vulnerable we all are.

Just Not the Same

This is a big weekend around here. The annual dogsled race is taking place the next three days across the region, spanning a total of 240+ miles. I used to be so excited for this event and once February rolled around, I knew I wouldn't have to wait much longer. My hometown used to be a checkpoint for the race and the start of a smaller dogsled race that took place the same day. It used to draw a lot of people to the community and I always enjoyed attending the race, even in the most frigid of weather. But all that changed about three years ago, when race officials made a major change to the race course and plotted new checkpoints. That meant my town was no longer a checkpoint and the race just basically went right on by without much fanfare. Along with the changes went my enthusiasm for the race.

I can vaguely remember my first dogsled race. It must have been the second or third year that the races existed and I had no clue they were going on (of course, I was rather young then, too). My dad and I took a walk towards town and saw lines of cars parked along the side of the highway. As we approached the downtown, streets were blocked off and these oddly shaped trucks were parked randomly through the village. I even remember going up close to one of the dogsled trucks, as small eyes peered toward me from one of the main cages holding the dogs. Just a short distance away, I heard small yelps from another truck. It was an amazing sight to see, especially in the middle of winter. And when you are as young as eight or nine years old, an event like a dogsled race becomes something very impressive. We walked down a hill towards the railroad tracks. In the summer time, this is our usual walking path through the village. But in the winter time, it's transpired into a snowmobile trail. And on this night, it became the trail for the dogsled race. Bright orange snow-fencing lined the trails with hay bales helping to outline the track. The bales actually became convenient seats for those individuals who were lucky enough to get a seat right up in front to watch the race. We watched the festivities from the back as the dogs lined up to the starting gate and the crowd would countdown until the sled took off and sped down the trail into the darkness. As the night progressed and people began leaving, we made our way towards the front and got a front row seat. We watched as team after team left the village on their way to the next checkpoint. Soon, my feet were froze and my hands getting chilled and it was time to go. But what a first hand experience that was.

In total, I only missed one dogsled event in a ten year span since that first race. It was always enjoyable meeting up with friends and watching the races with them or enjoying it with family members. The last few years that my town was the checkpoint, I went by myself. Even then, I enjoyed seeing all of the sights and sounds of the dogsled races. But now I don't have the same enthusiasm for the races. Tonight, the race begins in the city where I have my apartment. But I'd rather just sit at home and watch the local news coverage of the races instead of freezing my rear-end off waiting for the dogs to take off. The best memories are when I attended the races in my hometown and now that things are different, it's just not the same. Nothing can compare to the memories I hold of what used to be, even if it's still the same dogsled race that I used to attend for all those years.

Getting Back Into It

Yeow. It's been nearly three weeks since I last wrote in my little blog, and for those of you who may have come to depend on me writing here every few days or so, I am sorry I have let you down. I don't know what happens, but every once in awhile, I just don't feel like writing - simply put. That's what has been going on during those three weeks. So nothing serious has happened to me; just simply laziness, I guess. I come rejuvinated and energized to do some serious writing the next few weeks.

The last time I wrote to you, things at work had not been very pleasing. Many changes have taken place within the time I last wrote, including personnel changes on each crew and a new schedule. There was some awkwardness to get past at first when dealing with different people on the crew, but all of that is now in the past. I must admit, there were a couple of days there where all of a sudden, those changes affected me hard and I was depressed. I even seriously considered posting out of my department. But I tell you, I feel much better about circumstances now, and feel we have the best crew in the mill (just as I thought with the old crew, before things were changed around). Yes, we do have our weaknesses and there are areas of the mine as a whole that the crew is not all that familiar with. But, we are working through those issues. I think it really helped me that I worked with many of the people on my crew already in the past, otherwise I think the transition would've been more difficult. But all in all, things are going much better at work than what I reported to you last. Even the schedule seems halfway decent, although our crew has only had to work two 12-hour shifts thus far. That changes this coming weekend.

I don't want to focus too much on work in this particular blog, since the previous two blogs were heavily focused on work and were rather negative on my part. I just wanted to update the readers out there who may be interested in knowing what all has happened at my place of employment during the past three weeks. Now onto the other half of the blog:

I don't know how I came to think about this, but I began to recall a high school memory from out of the blue. I don't know if I had been day dreaming or what, but I remember my class bringing a live band to our school back when we were freshman in high school. Oh yes, I remember what made me think of this. There was a clip regarding a local band playing at Michigan Tech University in Houghton on the local news, and in the clip was a band setting up on Tech's gymnasium floor. I saw that picture, and then I remember what we did back in high school. See, our class was sort of revolutionary in a way. We wanted to do things differently instead of doing the same traditional activities year after year. All of the school dances during high school usually consisted of a deejay playing songs. Well, the one dance we hosted during our freshman year, we brought a live band to the school. And I can tell ya, it was one of the coolest things I had ever seen. The atmosphere in the gym was electric, the lights were bright, and the music was quite loud. We even held the dance in the new gymnasium instead of the old, where all of the other dances were usually held. It ended up being a "sock hop," which meant we couldn't wear any sort of shoes on the gym floor, since it was the main gym for playing basketball in. We had to protect the floor, so we basically just danced in our socks. And I can remember being on the dance floor with only a dozen other people, but it was a blast. It had been years prior to that that a live band was brought to our school; I had heard as far back as the 1970's. So we were doing something unique that hadn't been done in a long time. And I can't take any credit for this, since I was not part of my class' elected representatives. But it was one of those fond memories that I enjoyed about my group of classmates.

Another case of us wanting to be different; when it was our turn to host the junior-senior prom, we held it at a venue where it had never been held prior before. It was held in a luxurious hotel in downtown Marquette. And although it was a beautiful place, I must admit it was a little too cramped for comforts, in my opinion (not a lot of space on the dance floor). It was a nice evening and an event worth going to (even though my date for the prom was a total disappointment), and another example of our class wanting to be different. We even held different fundraisers that no other class had ever hosted. Let's just say we wanted make things interesting and fun for people. It's one of the things I admired about my class; we dared to be different, and it never hurt us in the end.

It's amazing how out of touch I am with everyone that I graduated with. I don't even know where the majority of the people from my class are nowadays. I remember people telling me to "stay in touch" and to "never change." Those are some of the messages in my yearbooks, in fact. No, I haven't really changed much, but I certainly am not in touch with many of those people, I hate to say. And this year marks the seventh year I've been out of high school. It seems like so long ago, yet not really. I remember reliving memories regarding the year 2000, especially those involving the Y2K scare. It seems like yesterday, and we're already seven years removed from that event. Unbelievable.

So even though the years continue to pass by, I still recall some rather vivid memories of high school. And I had better write them down now because soon enough, I probably won't be able to recall very many as the years breeze on by.