February 2006 Archives

I meant to post this early enough today to maybe get some discussion going, but I got slammed and didn't have the time. Now, this will just go up as a conversation starter for tomorrow (and a chance to show how little I understand about how America votes). I know some of you have to be watching American Idol again this season. What do you think so far?

Do you think the guys or girls are stronger, as a group? Who are your favorites? Who do you hate? Who do you think will win it all? Are you liking the show so far this season?

Personally, I think the guys are much stronger than the girls this season. That's not to say there's not several girls that could win it all, just that the rest of the girls are weaker than the rest of the guys.

Here's how I rank each group at this point, from best to worst. Keep in mind that there are people on both sides who we have yet to really see much from, and there are others who may grow into good singers if given some time. I'm not ranking them as a group yet, because they're not being judged as a group. In fact, I think that's going to mean some crummy girls getting into the top twelve when the seventh or eighth best guy would be a much better fit.

Guys:
1. Ace Young - He may be the fifth or sixth best voice out of the guys, but he makes up for it with image and song choice. He'll make it to the final four for sure.
2. Elliot Yemin - The best male voice, but could he look any more like a rodent? Not a pretty man. When will that hurt him in the voting?
3. Chris Daughtry - His voice isn't the best, but he also knows how to choose the right song and brings something different than the others. He's likeable enough to make it into the top five or six.
4. Taylor Hicks - I love to watch this guy, even though he's obviously retarded or something. He's so different than the others, I can't wait to see the songs he'll choose. I wouldn't be totally surprised if he made it to the top six, but I'd be freaking amazed if he won.
5. Sway Penala - He has one of the top three guy voices, but I hated his first song choice. And I don't find him all that likeable, maybe because of the hat. I'm not sure what America will think of him.
6. Gedeon McKinney - Could this kid be any more cocky and choreographed? There's nothing fresh or original about him, which is a shame because he's got a great voice. I think America will tire of him quickly.
7. Patrick Hall - If the dude sticks to ballads, he could fill the Anthony Federov role for a little while. But if he keeps trying to rock out, he may as well go back to doing musical theater.
8. Will Makar - Totally average voice, but doesn't he look like he should be the son in a primetime sitcom? He'll do better when David's gone, because the two of them are probably splitting the lonely 14-year-old girl vote at the moment.
9. Kevin Covais - I love this kid. Everyone loves this kid. Everyone also knows there's not a snowball's chance in hell of him winning it all. But I think he'll be the last eliminated during the guys only portion of the competition, for whatever that's worth.
10. Bucky Covington - If he would've softened up his first song, he would've surprised some people. Now, he may not stick around long enough to show what he can do, which would only help Rocker Chris own the hardcore voters.
11. Bobby Bennett - I thought his first performance looked like a parody of a Vegas lounge act. He seems like a character on a Spanish game show. I'm wondering how he made it this far, and after last night, I don't think he'll get another chance to show me.
12. David Radford - If he wasn't a crooner, he wouldn't have made it through. He's in because he's pretty and has a gimmick. There's a chance he could stick around if there are any original Sinatra fans left with the dexterity to dial a phone. But being pretty doesn't make you good.

Girls:
1. Katharine McPhee - I have a big crush on this girl, but I don't know why. She's got an amazing voice--maybe my favorite of the girls--but she somehow keeps alternating between being super hot and being just okay looking, sort of chubby. I think she's like the unassuming girl with glasses in the teen movie who gets a makeover at the end and wins the hot guy away from the cheerleader. I know that makes no sense. I predict she'll make the final four.
2. Melissa McGhee - This girl will disappear before her time, just like every slightly trashy, slightly stocky, raspy-voiced singer does every season. She has a great voice, and is pretty enough, but there's nothing that makes people love her. She'll outsing others who will outlast her on charm, alone.
3. Paris Bennett - Okay, she has amazing vocal control, but that first performance had two many winks at the camera. She comes off as being very rehearsed, like her parents have been putting her in talent shows for years. America (at least Atlanta) loves her, but she sort of annoys me. She'll still make the final five or six, though.
4. Lisa Tucker - Great voice, sort of weird looking. She may go earlier than she should just because Paris may steal her demographic.
5. Mandisa - Five bucks says she does "It's raining men" next week. I'll try to be nice and not talk about her disproportionally large butt. But it will be her downfall, no matter how she sings. She has a strong voice, but nobody wants to see that over the cute girls.
6. Kellie Pickler - Her voice is weaker than I first thought it was, and she looks weird when she sings. But she's cute and funny, even if you're laughing at her. She'll probably last longer than she should, making it to the coed round in place of better singers who aren't as fun on TV.
7. Ayla Brown - I hate to say this, but I have trouble rooting for a girl who already has everything in life. Straight A student, basketball scholarship to a great school, father who's a congressman. Sure, she has a great work ethic, but she's probably had access to some opportunities others in this contest haven't. Anyway, her own boringness will send her home soon. Probably next week.
8. Kinnik Sky - She's the Vonzell this season, but with a little less personality. A solid singer, and pretty enough, but nothing special about her. She won't last long unless something weird happens.
9. Heather Cox - First off, isn't there something porn star-ish about her? Sort of hot but trashy? Her voice sounded good in Hollywood when she was sick, but sounds weak now. If she doesn't turn it up (or show more skin), she'll be gone in a week or two.
10. Brenna Gethers - A meaner Michaela. Remember her, the Fran Drescher from a season or two ago? Brenna may have talent, but I hated her first song and hope America did, too. She has a bad attitude and is neither pretty nor funny. And she was a monster to her peers in Hollywood, possibly costing one or two a spot in this round.
11. Stevie Scott - She comes off as a crazy person to me. She does really weird things with her already weird face, and really needs to drop the Opera stuff. I don't think she'll get a second chance, but if she does, she needs to pretend she's Christina Aguilera on stage, not Josh Groban.
12. Becky O'Donohue - Hottest girl on the show, in a Maxim magazine kind of way (which she was in, by the way), but the least talented of all the boys OR girls. Made it this far solely on looks, but America will establish that this is a SINGING competition when they send her home tonight.

Anyway, those are my rankings. Not how I think America will see it, of course, but how I think it should go.

My predictions for who will be going home tonight:
Boys: Bobby Bennett and either David Radford or Bucky, depending on how many 14-year-old girls call in. I'd bet on David.
Girls: Stevie Scott and Becky O'Donohue.

I think the others in the bottom tonight will be Patrick, Gedeon, Kinnik and Brenna.

I thought I'd update everyone on how the girls are doing. As you can see from above, Maddie just started ballet class. Actually, it's pre-ballet for 3 and 4 year-olds. We spoke to the teacher, though, and she allowed Maddie to be in the class since she doesn't seem to have any attachment issues with Mommy and Daddy. I got to sit in on the first class, hiding around the corner while I watched the reflections in the mirror on the back wall. Maddie was so adorable that I nearly started crying. She held Miss Mary's hand for the first 5 minutes, but then took off and followed whatever the other girls were doing. And she took right to the idea of standing in line and waiting for her turn -- it might seem like a simple concept to most of you, but she's never been to preschool or any type of classroom situation where that was necessary so it was a wonder that she understood it from the start and didn't fall into her typical terrible twos phrase of "no turns, Mommy. Right now." You should have seen the look on her face when she walked out of the room after her first class. She then proceeded to talk about it ALL WEEK LONG. She had her 2nd class today, and though I wanted to sneak in again and videotape a little for all of you to see, I wasn't allowed. My little girl was on her own in class without Mommy and apparently did very well. After the class Miss Mary came to ask me again how old Maddie was. When I told her, she said that Maddie acted so "grown up" and did very well at taking instruction. I told her that the instruction part was a shock to us! haha. Seriously, though, the pride I felt as a mom in that moment shook me to my core. I can't describe the feeling of watching your child do something ON HER OWN for the first time, and do it well (and not throw a tantrum).

Josie Posey has become a new baby altogether. The kid you saw at her birthday a few weeks ago is changing at an exponential rate. She's mastered walking, but is now learning and using new words daily. She uses her signs (I only taught her 4 signs and she uses them correctly when she needs something. Maddie learned them too when she was Josie's age and to this day pulls out her "more" sign when she's tired) and has tried sounding out some words. Granted, most of them involve the sounds "bah" "mah" "da" and "pa" but she's trying. And she already knows how to say cheese ("tees") and please ("eeeez"). Ask her a question and she'll either nod her head (violently!) or say "na!". She also understands simple commands. You can tell her to go get her baby -- the ugliest little old doll of Maddie's with no clothes and one eye stuck shut, but she adores it. "Ba-bah!" -- and she'll leave the room to go look for it and actually bring it back to you. She is still the happiest child I've ever seen but lately she's become much more attached to Mommy. I know that it's normal for this age, but you have to understand that this is a baby who never liked being cradled or held facing you. She wanted to look around and be active. She pushed you away when you held her too tight. Maybe it has to do with not being able to hold her in the hospital at birth, but she just wasn't a cuddly baby like Maddie. Now she loves to kiss Maddie and be held by Mommy while she lays her head on my shoulder with her chubby little arm tightly around my neck. It's pure heaven. In a way, I feel like I'm finally bonding with her on a deeper level. She even makes the worst little sad face, followed by crying, when I leave the room. My back has taken a beating lifting her up all the time (use your legs!) but it's worth it. **I'm not dissing my own daughter. It's just that she IS a heavy baby.**

In all, the McLochlins are doing well. Things are finally calming down after the past few months and we're looking forward to Spring. It was 70 degrees earlier in the week, but has dropped to about 40 this weekend. Are you Northerners jealous yet? We wore shorts and t-shirts outside!

Yes, winning the first annual TBS Valentine's Day Bakeoff was a triumph I will always remember. When my "Peanut Butter Kiss Pie" beat out the dozens of other sweets and treats submitted by the rest of our (mostly female) staff, I was walking on cloud nine. I tried to stay humble when several people asked me for the recipe and applauded my culinary skill. I didn't want to make a big deal about it, especially since I hedged my bets by being the only cook who turned in TWO unique dishes (I also submitted my appropriately titled "What-the-hell-happened-to-the-cake Cake," AKA "Hey, look who tried to frost a layer cake while it was still warm!")

Despite my happy thoughts and rapidly growing ego, however, if one more person insists that my wife really made the pie, I'm going to punch them in the gut. And I don't care that most of the people asking are female. If they're not preggers, they're getting donkey punched. I can't abide such sexism.

Seriously, "Jim from Accounting" (not his real name or dept.) made a great Key Lime Pie (I was sure it would win). But NOBODY asked him if HIS wife made it. Yes, he does come off a little gay when you talk to him, but I know for a fact that he's actually married, and is just a really nice guy!

I won't bash Alecia's culinary skills, but suffice it to say that ALL she helped me with was taking the wrappers off of the Hershey's kisses (which she was amazingly quick at doing, by the way. She would probably become a legend on the corn shucking circuit). I did ask for her help with other aspects of the baking, since I was doing double duty and didn't even start cooking until after 11pm, but she shot me down. Try to tell the sexist girls in Marketing that, though, and they won't believe it.

Come on, people! I'm 225lbs. ("moderately obese" according to my BMI score), and my wife doesn't cook! Wouldn't that at least imply that I have some skill in the kitchen? Give a dude a break!

My mom took these this past weekend with her digital camera. (If you're on a fast connection, just click on the images below and choose "open." If your connection is slow, you will want to save them to your desktop, first.)

maddie, uncle todd and amanda making noise

josie, rocking out and then grinning about it

This is what the happiest one-year-old in the neighborhood looks like, just in case you didn't know.

And she really is uber-happy. Not even major accidents can dampen her mood. For example, let me relate a recent event.

Yesterday, Alecia called me in a panic, saying that Josie had fallen and hit her mouth and that it wouldn't stop bleeding. Before I raced out the door to get home, I asked her how bad it was. She said she'd cut her gums above her front teeth, AND IT WOULDN'T STOP BLEEDING!!!

"Okay," I said. "But how bad is it bleeding?"

"Well," Alecia replied, "It's not, like, pouring out of her mouth. But I keep putting a cold compress on it like you're supposed to and the compress always comes away with a touch of blood!"

"So it's not gushing out?" I asked.

"Um, no. But it's not scabbing!" Alecia replied.

"Okay, it's inside her mouth, right? Where it's wet and where people don't get scabs?" I asked.

"Um, I guess."

"Well, try this. Take the washcloth out of her mouth."

"Now what?"

"Now leave her alone for a minute." Alecia took the washcloth out and we talked about something else for a little bit.

"How is it now?" I eventually asked.

"Yeah, she's fine. It stopped. She wants a bottle."

When I got home from work several hours later, Josie was absolutely fine. Happy as ever. Nothing gets this kid down, even such a big emergency as this one obviously was.

Happy First Birthday, tough little smiler! We love you!