Tonight is the penultimate night for the 6th (?) season of American Idol. Blake Lewis, from my hometown of Bothell, WA is one of the two finalists. My 2 oldest sons are good friends with Blake, having worked with him at the Outback Steakhouse. They say he has always been a genuinely great guy. Two of my nieces were on the front page of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on the day Blake made his big return to Seattle. Being two of his super fans, they were at the parade at Westlake Mall 2 hours early, and were photographed just after Blake shook their hands on the front line. So, of course, we all really want Blake to win. Or do we? It seems like the best talents in the land have always been biggest losers early in their careers. Losing before winning always seems to give an entertainer more of an edge, more to live up to. Take a look some time at the list of famous singers and entertainers who were not first on Star Search, American Idol, or any other silly talent competition show. These programs are created for one reason only - to sell advertising time. The judging is subjective, the voting is suspect, but the fact that Ford SUV's, lite beer and Diet Coke continue to sell is undeniable.
So if Blake doesn't win, I'll probably be happier. Because he can avoid the obvious, and go down his own path. Those with the most attention at the beginning are not always the big winners in the end. For example, what has Kelly Clarkson done for us lately? I rest my case...
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Intro: Hi there. I just finished my first blog a few minutes ago. And then I deleted it by accident. Which proves I am a newbie to blogging. (I thought it was very clever and well written, but, what do I know...) Anyway, it was all about how important correct spelling is to me. I'm not pleased that I deleted it, but I'll try to recapture some of the better stuff. Dg
I've never thought much of blogging. I've always thought it was a dumb waste of time. I've also never really been into journaling. It simply reminds me too much of homework, probably because it's on paper. I feel compelled to use good penmanship, to space and create margins well, and to use paragraphs correctly. Then only to turn it in to some teacher waiting to criticize me with a C-. Typing on a computer, I only feel the need to spell correctly. And spelling matters very much to me.
To my own discredit, I frequently become very judgemental of people who misspell words. Especially easy ones. Like words that should have been mastered in the fifth grade. I can't think of a good example right now, but I will most certainly receive some email tomorrow with one or two carelessly spelled words. And I will scowl and resist the urge to correct them with a red font and then hit 'reply to all'. I just find it distressing that more people don't care more about the English language. I believe it relates directly to reading, or the lack thereof. Or from reading nothing but garbage and watching TV news. But I am regularly disturbed by how many words are spelled incorrectly in print, on signs, and in general public view. In the city where I live, there is an apartment complex called "The Pines". But that's not what the sign says. It reads, "The Pine's". Technically, not misspelled. But the gross misuse of the apostrophe on a 10' high carved wooden sign prompts in me the desire to sneak over there at 2 am and spray paint across it "I paid thousand's for this sign - I am an idiot. Signed, the owner." (Note the apostrophe - pretty funny, eh?) Two things keep me from attempting that. One, the police station is directly across the street. Two, the owner probably wouldn't care about the mistake, nor do I think he/she would even get the sarcasm. Perfectly good commentary wasted, and I'm left sitting in a cell with some guy who tried to hold up a 7-11 in South Everett with a squirt gun.
Anyway, that's probably enough for now. I promise that my future posts will try to tackle more interesting subjects. Like music, government leadership, religion, food & wine, ferry boat rides across Elliott Bay, etc. (Probably mostly music though.) Perhaps my blogging will fall on deaf ears, if it is read at all. The truth is, I think my lovely, talented and inspiring wife is simply tired of listening to my incessant preaching about these things, so I want to give her a break. And, just maybe, it will make me a safer driver on the #!$%&*$%! Washington state freeways. Dg
I've never thought much of blogging. I've always thought it was a dumb waste of time. I've also never really been into journaling. It simply reminds me too much of homework, probably because it's on paper. I feel compelled to use good penmanship, to space and create margins well, and to use paragraphs correctly. Then only to turn it in to some teacher waiting to criticize me with a C-. Typing on a computer, I only feel the need to spell correctly. And spelling matters very much to me.
To my own discredit, I frequently become very judgemental of people who misspell words. Especially easy ones. Like words that should have been mastered in the fifth grade. I can't think of a good example right now, but I will most certainly receive some email tomorrow with one or two carelessly spelled words. And I will scowl and resist the urge to correct them with a red font and then hit 'reply to all'. I just find it distressing that more people don't care more about the English language. I believe it relates directly to reading, or the lack thereof. Or from reading nothing but garbage and watching TV news. But I am regularly disturbed by how many words are spelled incorrectly in print, on signs, and in general public view. In the city where I live, there is an apartment complex called "The Pines". But that's not what the sign says. It reads, "The Pine's". Technically, not misspelled. But the gross misuse of the apostrophe on a 10' high carved wooden sign prompts in me the desire to sneak over there at 2 am and spray paint across it "I paid thousand's for this sign - I am an idiot. Signed, the owner." (Note the apostrophe - pretty funny, eh?) Two things keep me from attempting that. One, the police station is directly across the street. Two, the owner probably wouldn't care about the mistake, nor do I think he/she would even get the sarcasm. Perfectly good commentary wasted, and I'm left sitting in a cell with some guy who tried to hold up a 7-11 in South Everett with a squirt gun.
Anyway, that's probably enough for now. I promise that my future posts will try to tackle more interesting subjects. Like music, government leadership, religion, food & wine, ferry boat rides across Elliott Bay, etc. (Probably mostly music though.) Perhaps my blogging will fall on deaf ears, if it is read at all. The truth is, I think my lovely, talented and inspiring wife is simply tired of listening to my incessant preaching about these things, so I want to give her a break. And, just maybe, it will make me a safer driver on the #!$%&*$%! Washington state freeways. Dg
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