i'll remember all you little people.

it happened.

i got the letter.

Gentle Reader, this:

is officially entry number 176 in this year's Orange County Fair amateur photography contest.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

out of 2700 entries, i made a cut.

holy freaking crap. i'm highern a coffee junkie on a double espresso.

holy freaking crap.

the Husband says, 'well, will you be disappointed if you don't win?'

hell no. i'll be devastated.

but if i do win....i'll remember all you little people, even as i squish you like little bugs on my way to the top.

so kidding.

so freaked out.

so going to the Fair.

July's gonna be a long, long ways away.

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

it's all for a reason.

this all started Monday.

my boss came in Monday Morning with one red, swollen eyeball. it made me gasp.
and i'm not a gasper.

but he wouldn't go to the doctor. 'it's allergies,' he said.

allergies my left foot. i have allergies. my eye doesn't look like that when i get an allergy attack.

i gave him my bottle of allergy eye drops. believe me, i don't want that back. it's pinkeye, i tell him.

no, he says. allergies.

allergic to the doctor, i think.

Tuesday morning.

same uggy looking eye.

same stubborn man.

enter our department manager. who sends him home. go to the doctor, she says. people will complain.

um, hello?! i've been complaining.

thank heavens, he went to the urgent care. guess what? it was allergies.

psych.

that would be pinkeye. p-i-n-k-e-y-e.

so because he was gone for the day, i didn't get to leave work early enough.

i missed my flight to Reno.

so as i stood there rebooking my ticket and crying, a very sweet woman came up to me and said 'is it going better?"

no it's not, i missed my flight and it's been horrible at work and at home...sob, boo hoo, waaaah.

'honey,' she said, putting her arm around me. 'there's a reason you're not supposed to be on that plane.'

that shut me up.

'seriously.' she says. 'it doesn't mean that the plane is going down, but there is a reason you were to miss this flight. everything happens for a reason. you just remember that.'

that woman was my angel yesterday. i really believe God sent her to me just to keep me on track and remind me that even though i want to believe it's all about me, there really is a Bigger Picture out there, and i lose sight of that.

frequently.

i'm constantly telling Brendan that things happen for a reason. i can't explain the reasons but there is a reason and everything works the way it's supposed to. so, no, there was no plane crash last night.

but i'll never know the reason why i wasn't to make that flight.

thanks NiceDeltaLady. you put me back in perspective.

tonight: Keith!

requiem for a friend.

requiem for a friend..not only the title for today's missive, but one of my favorite Elton John songs.

(see kids, Elton John was a singer in the 70s who's shtick was outrageous costumes, large glasses and big-ass platform shoes. if you want more information, go to www.wikipedia.com.)



i was checking my email yesterday and found out Bruce Gordon died earlier last month. he was 56.

i don't expect you to know him. but i hope after this, you might know him a little better.

Bruce worked for Walt Disney Imagineering from 1980 until 2005. he started as a model builder and moved up the food chain, eventually becoming the 'show producer' for rides at Disneyland like Splash Mountain, the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and most recently the newly opened Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.

i got a glimpse into his world back in the 90s.

back then, as now, i was a girl in love. with Disneyland. don't ask me why, but there is something magical i feel when i walk under that train trestle and see the plaque right above my head that says "Here you leave the World of Today and enter the Worlds of Tomorrow and Fantasy."

leave the World of Today. i'm all for that.

well, back then, and at Disneyland, is where i met one of my best friends. he and his now wife were down from the Bay Area visiting Disneyland and attending a Disneyana convention.

nope. never heard of one, either.

he talked my mom & i into going. we met up on Sunday to attend the sale they always have. club members attending the convention set up their Disney wares to sell.

think garage sale. one man's trash, etc.

anywhooo...

i eventually joined the club and started attending meetings as well as the yearly convention. that's when we met Bruce.

back then, he was a speaker at one of the events with a partner in crime, David Mumford. they both worked for Imagineering and to look at them was like looking at a modern day Laurel & Hardy.

David was thin. sorta quiet. if you looked at him, you'd want to scream "NERRRRRRD!" Bruce, on the other hand was a big guy who looked like he ate life like hamburgers - big and in one gulp.

it was the beginning of what we would call the Bruce & Dave Show.

the show would start normally. they'd come out on stage and start introducing their presentation...and then...

things would start flying. literally.

one year, their subject was the transformation of the former Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse at Disneyland to Tarzan's Treehouse. at one point, Bruce dragged out a large box and he and David started flinging out Ziplok bags, each containing a plastic leaf from the old tree. Bruce said there were over 100,000 leafs on that tree.

he had labled & numbered each one and had it on each bag. mine is still at my desk at work.

with the Bruce & Dave show, you never knew what to expect, only that you would be exhausted from laughter by the end.

at one show, they announced there would be no more flinging things into the audience - the legal department from Imagineering sent them both a letter stating it was dangerous and irresponsible, etc.

they made copies of the letter, balled 'em up and flung them out to the audience.

we lost David in 2003 to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. then i found out yesterday Bruce was gone, too.

losing David was like losing your kid brother. you always knew he was there, but you didn't miss him until he was gone. losing Bruce was like losing your crazy uncle - the one who sucked all the air out of a room and left you weak from laughter.

they've both gone. and the world is a little less fun because of it.

i guess that God decided it was time to take the Bruce & Dave Show on the road.
rest in peace, boys.

2500 visitors.

that is amazing.

i thank you, each of you, whether you comment or not.

i always wanted to be a writer, and read around the world. i just never imagined it would be on the 'net.

thanks again. you rock. i love writing, you keep reading.

must be a good thing - you keep coming back. so again, from the bottom of my heart, i thank you.


so in honor of 2500 hits, i offer this: post a comment here and i will choose a name by 8pm PST on Saturday.

you, oh Gentle Reader, will also be a Lucky Reader. i will make you a photo clock with your choice of photo and color scheme.

thanks again. and good luck!

this ain't right.

at this time this a.m.

it was this many degrees.

(sorry it's a little blurry)

that's just all kinds of wrong.

happy anniversary.

yep. it's the parental units.

yep, it's their anniversary.

yep, it's been 33 years.

33 years.

dude. sometimes i feel like 10 is a lifetime.

and no, my step-pop doesn't look like "duh" all the time. he's usually much crankier. but heck, if i was 81, i think i would be entitled to be cranky.

when they got married, i was a junior bridesmaid (is that like a junior birdman?) in yellow. yellow. while a happy color, not a happy color on me.

the reception was at my cousin's home here in the OC. so, when it came time to toss the bouquet, i was all over it.

like anyone was going to let a 12 year old get married. riiiiiight.

anywhooo...mom tossed. i dove. heck, it's what you'd do when you were playing baseball, right?

grass stain on a yellow dress. and yes, i did get the buttkicking i deserved.

happy memories. happy anniversary.

love this.

grab a tissue, hug a puppy and go here.

story courtesy of my friend @ work who volunteers at this facility.

serious. get a tissue.

holy freaking crap.

sorry for the radio silence. it's been, well....busy and odd.

just not at the same time, thank heavens.

so to start with (and to reiterate), holy freaking crap.

she's fifteen.

and while i know her mom is gonna give me crap for her being in the picture, too stinking bad.

(you wouldn't let me pay for our dinners, your photo ends up on the blog. deal with it.)

and, as we old fogies are want to do, we spent the night reminiscing about when she was a wee one, willing to do pretty dang near everything auntie (and later uncle) would say, sufficiently embarrassing the newly minted 15 year old.

case in point.

on one of our many trips to Disneyland, we were making our way up Main Street. Miss J, was probably about 3...and we were pushing her in her stroller. Crowds had already gathered along the curb, waiting for the parade that was scheduled to come by soon.

and me, being, well..me, leaned forward to J and said, "why don't you blow them kisses."

so she did.

and people waved back.

well, not being one to let things go, auntie said, "tell them 'see my movie.' "

so she did.

and people started asking what the movie was. i don't think i could answer, i was too busy laughing my considerable bum off as Miss J continued giggling and waving and kiss blowing.

then there was her brother...(a harder sell, by the way)

no, he's not channeling aliens, the waiter made him a foil hat. a turtle foil hat.

and unfortunately, he doesn't get HBO. that would be extra.

the Birthday Girl also got a balloon hat. it's an octopus.

because again, nothing says "Happy Birthday" like balloon hats.

so i feel so old. really, really old. Miss J was the flower girl at our wedding.when she was five. heck, her brother was only six months old.

man.

most days, i don't feel any older than ten years ago. on a really good day, i don't feel much older than the girl.

so if i didn't get older, how can it be she's grown up into this stunning blond cutie pie? that i could once get to do my every bidding?

it ain't right. well, not from her standpoint, however...for her, it's one more step to that all important goal: growing up. becoming an adult.

and neither of them would believe me if i told them that it ain't always worth it. *sigh*

happy birthday, sweetie. auntie vowel and uncle consonant (his name, not mine) love you very, very much.

more to come.

and again!!

to quote Sally Field: you read me, you really, really read me!

OK. so she really didn't say that.

but somehow, someway, y'all really like me.

dearest SusieQ has decided i'm a rocker. again!

thanks. again. you've rendered me speechless.

well, whaddya know?

if you know me (and just by reading this for a while, you will), you know probably three things about me:
1) i want kids
2) i'm a sarcastic snot
3) i usually have something to say about everything.

so color me speechless.

thanks, Jenny! according to her, i rock because i have a nose piercing, i plan parties and i make her hungry with all my food yakking.

does this make me certifiable?

so now i'm to pay it forward. and that's hard because all of y'all rock me in one way or another.

i'll post my findings tomorrow..

who needs caffeine?

today started so ordinary. just another boring workday that, thankfully, was a Friday.
which of course means the weekend is here.

Husband left for work before i did, and as i sat to catch a few minutes of the news, our phone rang.

phones ringing that early can not be a good thing.
but no one was there. that was weird, i thought. not nearly as weird as what's going on in London, but...

POUND!POUND!POUND!POUND!!!

what th'?

"Orange County Sheriff - OPEN THE DOOR NOW!"

WHAT TH'????!!!!!

"THIS IS THE ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF!! YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS TO OPEN THE DOOR BEFORE I KICK IT IN!"

i was ready to dive under the bed with the cat. that's when the phone rang again - the Husband. calling to tell me that the cops were here.

duh. i've figured that out.

he had gotten down to his car and saw this big-ass white van double-parked, and began muttering under his breath about the schmucks double parking, etc. that's when the doors on the van opened and at least ten sheriffs piled out. big sheriffs.

at least five of them were upstairs. two at the back of our complex, two at the bottom of our stairs.

oh, did i mention the stairs we share with our upstairs neighbors? the ones the sheriffs were entering??

holy stinking crap.

they were looking for a man who apparently used to live there (which is funny, we've been here ten years and have only seen the two guys that live across from us) who missed a court appearance for narcotics trafficking.

(ooops. my bad. i just forgot i was supposed to go to court.
oh and i forgot that drug trafficking is bad.
drugs=jail. sorry, man.)

apparently the guy they were looking for is in Ethiopia. not deported, just there. they don't know any more than that.

meanwhile the entire time, i'm on the phone with Husband, with my eye firmly stuck to our peephole, deciding if it was safe to leave. Husband wanted me to wait till they left, but as we all know, the wheels of justice turn slow.
it seemed safe. no guns were drawn, so i'm leaving, opening the door carefully and making sure the officers knew i was there.

these guys have always been quiet...but isn't it the quiet ones you gotta watch?

"yeah, we never saw much of them, but they wuz good peoples. i didn' kno' that they kilt everyone in da house."

and i had planned on getting coffee on my way to work. don't need it now.

who says the OC is dull?

wait...what?

today started like any other weekend day here at Casa O'Mahony. slept in a little. Husband spent the night on the recliner...not because anything happened, he just fell asleep there last night and i could not wake him up. so, after a while, i just decided he could sleep there and if he woke up later, could come to bed.

never did. yay for me!

this a.m., he decides he's going to go in to work. oh joy. so much for us spending some time together. or breakfast. or whatever.

and Yours Truly, coming off the pity party and emotional upheavals of the last few days didn't feel good to boot. nothing horrible, just a little sinus action/headache.
and after watching "The Starter Wife," off he trotted to work.''

after showering, dressing and eating, i started surfing...when the sinus pill i took kicked my butt and off to the Land of Nod i went.

without a passport.

about noonish, the phone woke me up. Husband wanted me to meet him for lunch. i declined, after all, i felt like crap, and still was kinda drugged from the Advil. back to sleep for me.
a little bit later, my cell phone ringing woke me, but still being stoned..er, drugged, i couldn't see my way clear to get up from the couch.

a minute later, the house phone rang. my friend, Kristie, was calling from her truck where she was stranded. the girl lives up in the High Desert/Apple Valley area about a 1.5-2hr. drive from Mostly Smoggy Southern California. and she was stuck down here.
the truck had broke down, she said, and while she had called the Auto Club, they were swamped and wouldn't be out for about two hours.

she's diabetic. her blood sugar was dropping. c-r-a-p.

bright one that i am, i realized that where Brendan is at work, he's not too far from where Kristie is. mind you, Kristie is not sure where she is, only that she's near a park.

so, i grab my cell and call Brendan, and while conference calling, relay where Kristie thinks she is. Brendan, i figure, can grab some OJ, head over, and save the day.

five minutes later, he calls. again. he has to go back to work and can't go save Kristie. so it's up to me. drugged to the gills.

i am mad. i am angry. i am so disappointed in my husband. i don't ask for much, really. and feeling betrayed, i drive down to Santa Ana..about 30 minutes from our place.
you see, when we were at the restaurants with the baby and my friends, watching him sing to the baby was too much for me, so i ended up in the ladies room doing a little sobbing.

like most guys, he's sometimes clueless. had no idea what was going on.

and now i'm picking up the pieces for something i asked him to do.
on the way down, i find a 7-11 (a convenience store here) and grab the largest orange juice i can find.

now i'm panicking. what if i can't find her? what if i get lost? will the paramedics find her if called, since she doesn't even know where she is?

by the grace of God, i end up on the street she says she thinks she's on. luckily for me, it's at the Santa Ana Zoo, where B & i were a few months ago. and with ease, i find her, sitting on her tailgate. i pull up and hand her the oj, as well as some donuts i grabbed from home before i left.
knowing she said the kids were hungry, i asked if i could go to Taco Bell for food.

no need, she says, they just found out that the zoo had a food court they were going to hit. well, drink your oj, i nag, and i am gonna get you some glucose tabs, so you can have them the next time this happens. keep them in the car, and you should always have some crackers in here, too, blah blah blah.

gad, i'm annoying.

after parking, i walk with her to find her kiddos. i'm really worried now, because she's staggering badly. i'm glad i have my wallet, at least then i can shove some food down her gullet.
we walk in the gate and look around the playground..no kids to be seen. over to the food court, again, no young un's.

maybe they're over here, she says, and we go around the corner of the restroom. and there they are. thank hea....

what the hell is my husband doing here? saying happy birthday??

oh.my.buddah.

my parents are here. one of my old friends from work is here with her husband.

holy freaking party, Batman. it's a surprise party. for me.

i do not believe this. the Husband actually pulled this off. and daaaang was he mad at me, when i said i didn't want to go to lunch.

well?! i didn't feel good! hel-lo?! 'sides, i had no clue.

not a one.

it takes a lot to render me speechless, kids. a lot.
i had nothing to say. i stood there with my hand over my mouth. "are you still mad, auntie vowel?" the kids ask.
i have nothing to say.

we have El Pollo Loco for lunch. we go on a scavenger hunt. we ride the little train around the park. we eat cake.

and my husband, the king of unplanning (he hates planning things like this) pulled this off. even though, for about an hour, we were both totally pissed at the other.
i'm over it, by the way.

so, while yesterday and Thursday night sucky-sucked-sucked, this really was the capper of my birthday. i've never had one last dang near a week.

and i'm still shaking my head that he pulled this off and that i didn't figure a dang thing out.

send all old people to prison!

OK, i think we know i really don't mean it.

or do i?

naaah.

we went out to dinner tonight with my parents for my birthday...which isn't until Tuesday, but celebrate early and often is the motto 'round here. my parents met us here for some killer hushpuppies, pulled pork and sweet 'tater fries. oh, and there would have been Dixie's Crimson Voo-Doo Ale, except that the restaurant doesn't carry it any more. schmucks.

digression, they call you valerie.

so anyway, like i said, my parents met us there. having not been there before, my mom asked where the restaurant was, and quickly looking online, i see it's at the corner of Bellflower Blvd. & Flower.

or so i thought.

it's actually a street after, but! you can turn onto Flower, and cut through the alley to get to the restaurant. so i called them at home to tell them.
too late. already left.
so i then called my mom's cell.
not on. niiiiiice.
then i think, hey! try step-pop's cell! he usually has more minutes on his cell (they have pay-as-you-go service).
guess what? it's not on, either.
and they don't have voice mail.

many's the time i have said, look...just get a family plan with a small amount of minutes. but they would have voice mail. there's been more times than i can count (and i'm horrible at math to boot) when i couldn't reach them and leave them a message because they don't have voice mail.

so. back to the location problem. not sure if they would figure out where the restaurant was, the Husband and i walked up to the corner they would turn on to try & catch 'em.
after about ten minutes, i tell the Husband i was going back to the restaurant to see if we missed them.

they came out of the restaurant just as i got there.
"well! where have you been?" my mother says.
"yeah and what kind of computer you got that gives bad directions?" the step-father chimes in.
i respond that IF they had their cell phones on, i could've reached them and told them.

then my stepfather comes back with "well, i'm old but not stupid, if you think i couldn't find where this gosh darned restaurant is (ed. note: if you know my stepfather, you know he didn't say gosh darned. family blog and all.)"

wow. suddenly Bellflower is the Happiest Place on Earth. move over, Disneyland.

once inside, he calms down considerably. then he starts winding up again about did i get a table instead of a booth because you know your mother has a hard time sliding in booths.

nooooo. it never occurred to me. i only have known her my entire life and know her physical limitations.

we get a table. WITH chairs. score one for me.

dinner was good. step-pop got better. by the time dinner was done, he was much better. i had just decided that hunger was the only issue and that he wasn't a grumpy old man when, walking through the parking lot, we miss getting clipped by an old man driving his Lincon Contental with his wife.

"gosh darn that fool," the stepfather says, "old people need to have their heads examined and should probably all be sent to prison."

hmmm. i don't think he'd like it if the Fogie Police came for him.

happy 500th posting to me!

500 ramblings, blah, blah blahs and the occasional sensible posts.

thanks for sticking with me.

post away. i might be giving away some goodies.

gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo me!!!

i'll take potpourri for $500, Alex.

watch out: i'm gonna be all over the road without signaling.

just like a good Californian driver would.

on the way to get my tire fixed (i got a flat a week or so ago)i passed a church with this on it's signage: Count Your Blessings Instead of Your Problems.

accurate. but if it were only that easy.

i think because our problems consume us that there's not the same time made to look at our blessings.

face it: are not most of the commercials & talk shows out there focused on solving our problems? honestly, where would Oprah & Dr. Phil be if we did focus on the blessings?

besides out of a job, that is.

it goes along with the Great Social Experiment: no complaining. hard to do, because we're so conditioned the other way.

(lane change)

i met Jerry today at the tire shop. Jerry said hi to me, told me his name, and that he had to go to the bathroom.
Jerry was probably my age physically, and the age of my nephew mentally.

and today, the biggest problem Jerry faced was getting the Coke machine to take his dollar.
Jerry was happy. he had a big ol' smile, some funky suspenders and a bounce to his step that didn't care that he would never progress past the age of 7.

it's all about perspective, kids. and i need to change mine.

(lane change)

oh happy day! i finally got Donny's new cd today - Love Songs of the 70's.
sorry, though...i'm not sure how Will It Go Round In Circles became a love song? oh well.
i guess when i make a record i can afford to nitpick. until then...

oh happy day part two!! Dreamgirls finally comes out on DVD this Tuesday. i'm sure the Husband is shaking his fist at the Powers that Be for this one, and all i can say is get over it.
oh, and Sweetie? damn good thing you put the DVD player in our room with my new TV.
you'll enjoy laying on the bed watching "The Dirty Dozen," whilst i, luxuriate in the recliner with a refreshing beverage and several Kleenex's, watching my girl, Jennifer, rip out her and my heart.
you'll love it in there, baby.

(taking freeway offramp...dang! wrong street. back on freeway)

what have we learned today? probably not much.
i however am looking to change my attitude, regardless of what's going on real or imagined in my life.
Donny rocks.
ditto Dreamgirls dvd.
and it's Friday. 'nuff said, there.

happy Friday everyone!

another Easter miracle.

this is what's left of Scooter.

Scooter is my niece Elizabeth's VW.

or was.

Saturday morning, on her way from my sister-in-law's in Reno to Sacramento, she had a bit of an accident.

girl rolled the car four times before it stopped. thankfully all she hurt (besides the car) was a cut on her toe, and lots of bumps and goose eggs and bruises.

it reminds me how fragile life is, and how close we all came to losing her this weekend.

and that Elizabeth's sister, the now psychic Erin, is a pill.

it seems that before Elizabeth left on Saturday morning, Erin told her to "not crash Scooter, Sissy." and you can only imagine how indignant Miss Erin was when she found out about the accident.

"i told Sissy to not crash Scooter - Sissy just never listens!"

oh but what teenager does. someday you'll be the same way, my love.

oh so thankful that only Scooter was mangled.

one of these things is not like the other...

as is known here in Mostly Smokey Southern California (we have a big brush fire going on about 25 miles from us, and with the wind blowing just right - or wrong - it's like living in an ashcan.), we have no history. many times, buildings of some significance ("On This Site in 1942, So-and-So passed on the screen rights to 'The Godfather' screenplay") are torn down to build a parking lot

see? Joni Mitchell was right. they paved paradise to put up a parking lot.

but today on my drive home from hell, er...work, i saw a banner stretched across the street in Hawaiian Gardens.

BTW - don't get all dreamy-eyed. the city is neither Hawaiian nor Garden-like.

City Anniversary - Join in as we celebrate our 43rd year!

what th'...

yep. it's true. i am actually older than a city. that's depressing.

now, i also know that there are many little cities in southern OC that are only in their 30s. i just choose to not think about it.

on the plus side, i have to admit, i look better than most of Hawaiian Gardens.

well, except for my butt.

in other news....

Saturday, we spent most of the day waiting for the tire store to get a tire transferred so Brendan could get one replaced.

oh joy.

in the interim, Husband went outside to the work area, being that the guy working on his car, apparently wasn't putting on the wheel right.

how can you screw that up?

anywhoooo...i went outside, being that i was freezing my Hawaiian Gardens sized butt off in there. and near their parking lot was a little grass island, with a light pole and a small pine tree.

i sat on the pole base, enjoying the sun and whatnot, when i noticed a ladybug on the tree.

and another. and another. and...

the entire tree was blooming with ladybugs.

luckily, i brought my camera.

i now consider myself the Ansel Adams of the entomology world. never mind the fact that i took 15 crappy pictures to get these.

i'll let you know when my gallery opens.

had me a little date today...

with myself.
(and April, i held on to my values and slapped myself when i tried something)

decided to go to the movies this afternoon, and saw Dreamgirls. i knew i could get away with it because B, like a lot of men, have zero interest in chick flicks, much less musicals.

it was nice because i was there at noon. there were maybe 6 people in the theater.
i'm not a cheap date, however, the matinee ticket was $9, and by the time i bought lunch AND a box of Raisinettes, i was out $20.

dang. maybe i should have tried something.

however, after seeing this movie, i have come to two, no - three irrefutable conclusions:
1) the day this comes out on DVD, i am so there. heck, i may even buy two copies...one for home and one for our portable DVD player...just so i won't be without it.
2) if Jennifer Hudson doesn't win the Academy Award for best supporting actress, there's something wrong with the Academy. which i have suspected for years. i mean, come on! Martin Scorsese and Peter O'Toole can't win in their categories? give me a break.

wait. that's another post.

the third irrefutable conclusion? if you see this movie, and you are not sobbing as Jennifer sings "And I Am Telling You I Am Not Going," there could be something wrong with you. this chick is talented. powerful talented.

and when she wins, i would take that Oscar, go to Simon Cowell, and friggin' give him the biggest raspberry i had in me.
oh, and do the same for everyone out there that voted for someone else, booting her off "Idol."

mind you, i never watched Idol. but i'm telling you, i walked out of that theater wondering where i could get video of her.

ho-ley-cow. that is one talented chick. and as much as i love Taylor Hicks and Carrie Underwood, i can tell you this: ain't neither one of 'em got a Golden Globe in one hand, and the potential for the Oscar in the other.

happy weekend everyone.