Twas a Good Weekend

Nice weekend, but nothing much to report except for cooking and eating, which we shouldn't be doing much of.

Yesterday, we went to see the Malaysian women bowlers, then a quick shopping trip and then to my mom and dad's place, where I helped them move their potted patio plants so they can have their new deck built next week. Mom had a new recipe from the Weber grill cookbook for Eastern NC BBQ. She had defrosted a pork boston butt and slathered it with rub. I then put it on the grill in indirect heat, with hickory wood chips on top of the fire, and left it going for five hours, until it was falling apart. Then we pulled all the meat apart and soaked it in the sauce made from vinegar, red pepper flakes, sugar, etc which is the Eastern NC Barbeque magic potion.

It was delicious.

Today, we celebrated my Dad's birthday (his 60th!) and I grilled burgers over at his house and we had cake and ice cream. Mom got the cake from Costco and it was the darkest, richest, chocolatey-est cake I've ever seen or tasted in my life. It was black. Not brown, but black as night all the way through with dark chocolate bittersweet shavings stuck to the dark chocolate frosting. The cocoa content of this cake was off the scale. It was great, but no one is going to be craving chocolate for awhile.

Tonight, Bernie and I are worn out, even though we haven't done much in the way of exercise. I wonder if the choco-endorphins are working on us. Anyway, we sleep with the angels this night. Zzzzzzzzzz...

Suddenly, It All Makes Sense!

Sanjaya's family are pot-growers.

Now we know why he's got such a weak grip on reality. And no wonder why the state of California voted for him so often!

Tonight's Idol

I was underwhelmed by the show and the theme tonight (Inspiriational Songs). That being said, all the competitors were really good! Maybe it's Sanjaya's absence, but the singing really was great tonight.

Show commentary: This was the "Idol Gives Back" show. You'd think Ryan would shave. Simon was actually pleasant tonight and really didn't stick it to anyone.

Tonight's theme was an attempt to make up with Melinda and Lakisha for giving them bad themes two weeks in a row (Country and Latin). Melinda rocked and Lakisha didn't. Lakisha violated rule #1 - don't do a song by a former Idol winner. She also shouted and oversang the song again. Hers were the only bad comments of the evening from the judges. Phil was really good again - he seems to have found his comfort zone, finally. Chris ("If I Could Change the World") and Blake ("Imagine") were weaker but good. Jordin went last and brought down the house with "You'll Never Walk Alone". I really think she's going to win.

Tonight's ranking:
1. Jordin
2. Melinda
3. Phil
4. Blake
5. Chris
6. Lakisha

Based on Lakisha's waning fan base in recent weeks, I think she's gone. At the beginning of the season, I would never have thought 3 guys would still be in it this late, but they're hanging on.


Wednesday Update:
They didn't eliminate anyone this week (though they left poor Jordin twisting in the wind). They'll add up the scores with next week's scores and eliminate TWO next Wednesday.

Harry Potter

I realized this weekend that I hadn't pre-ordered my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows yet, so I went on to Amazon and did my duty. Only to hear the wail of dismay from my wife, who had already done so for an early birthday present for me. Now we'll have two copies. Oh well.

Anyway, I was wikipedia-browsing on Deathly Hallows today and I figured I could put my predictions for what will happen in the book into a blog post and maybe get Elizabeth and Chris to actually leave me a comment or two.

First, I think "hallows" is being used in its "relics of saints" definition. The "saints" being loosely interpreted as Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, and Rowena Ravenclaw. So therefore, the "deathly hallows" are the relics of the founders of Hogwarts - which are horcruxes containing parts of the soul of Voldemort, keeping him alive after the death of his body.

Second, Sirius and Dumbledore will be helping Harry and the Order of the Phoenix from the afterlife. Dumbledore from his picture frame, and Sirius by the use of the two-way mirror he gave to Harry.

Third, Rowling has stated that we will learn a lot about Lily Potter in book 7. She has also said that Harry having his mother's eyes is a crucial fact that will play out in book 7. It has been stated in previous books that Harry's protection from Voldemort is due to Lily's dying in order to protect him. Dumbledore "had a gleam in his eyes" when he heard that Voldemort had returned from the dead with the use of Harry's blood. I add this all up and theorize that Lily's death may have caused the equivalent of a white-magic horcrux, preserving Lily's soul after death and protecting Harry. You have to commit a murder to create a horcrux, so maybe the white-magic equivalent requires sacrificing oneself to save another. When Voldemort used Harry's blood to return to life, he may have put a piece of Lily into himself which can be exploited as a weakness.

Based on something Rowling said, I think Harry, Hermione, and Ron all survive the series. I think Neville and perhaps Hagrid will die in the course of the story. Just a guess.

R.A.B. is Regulus Black, and the amulet horcrux was found in 12 Grimmauld Place in Book 6.

Three of the six horcruxes have been found - Tom Riddle's diary, Slytherin's ring, and the locket. This leaves items from Griffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff to be found. Is Godric's sword one? I think that Harry's scar is the seventh horcrux and we'll see a dilemma as to whether Harry should kill himself in order to rid the world of Voldemort. I think Lily's horcrux will be the key to Harry's survival.

Where Do I Stand?

I thought I'd let my readers get to know me a little better by letting them know where I stand on important issues of the day:

1. Abortion - Wishy-washy on this one. I believe in pro-responsibility. I also believe there are worse things than death, and being raised without loving parents in a drug culture, or with a debilitating disease or defect qualifies.

2. Death penalty - Very Pro. Murderers, drug-dealers, rapists, violent criminals, terrorists, rap artists (redundant) - they all need to be removed from this earth.

3. Right to bear arms - Pro. I agree with waiting periods and background checks, however. I also believe no one has a legitimate need for a machine gun. I wouldn't cry if we outlawed handguns, but someone had better follow up such a law with a good method of taking them away from criminals if they were to do that. A shotgun is much better for home defense, anyway.

4. Freedom of the Press - In my opinion, this is being abused in the USA. We have so-called "legitimate" media (Dan Rather and CBS) fabricating evidence of wrongdoing and reporting it as truth. We have rampant partisanship being disguised as 'straight news' instead of 'opinion'. We have stories from 'unnamed sources' being treated as fact. We have a breakdown of common politeness being broadcast as 'hard news'. We have censorship in the form of 'political correctness' being used against the ethnic and religious majorities. We have reporters taking law enforcement into their own hands and calling it "investigative journalism". We have 5 major news sources that are blatantly for one political party and one for the other party, and the 5 do everything they can to discredit the other while denying their own politically slanted reporting. We have news items from Iraq being filed by reporters who never leave their hotel rooms and get information from local sources that feed them whatever they want to hear. We have 'exit polling' results declaring false winners and discouraging voters from voting before the election is even over. We have Al-Jazeera being taken seriously as a news source, despite plenty of evidence that they are in cahoots with terrorist organizations. Something needs to be done.

5. Global warming - Skeptic. I have a degree in Biology and I participated in scientific studies in school. I learned statistics. I've written synopses for studies. So far, I haven't seen a legitimate study of global climate change. Every single one started with an opinion and set out to find measurements to support that opinion, then immediately released those results to the press. That isn't science. Scientific study follows a process where data is gathered in an impartial manner, then trends are looked for, using the approved methods of statistical analysis. Then a theory is developed. Then the theory is vigorously attempted to be disproved. If the theory holds up over the course of time, it is eventually accepted to be law. None of this hysterical pseudoscience has gone through that process. I believe there has been a small increase in global average temperature over the past 100 years. I believe this is due to natural forces. I do not think that man can change this trend, and I think it will eventually reverse itself. I think it is a shame that we've all let people who stand to profit from global warming hysteria pull the wool over our eyes. When you suspect a scam, follow the money. It will lead you to the truth. If Al Gore really believed that reducing carbon emissions would save the world, don't you think he'd close down the coal mines on his property?

5a. Despite my disbelief in man-made global warming, I believe we should cut emissions and pollution whenever we can. Not out of fear, but out of a sense of decency and a desire to preserve beauty.

6. God - I'm a member of the United Methodist Church. I currently attend Catholic church with my wife. My position on religion is that I don't know anything about religion. I hope one day to be certain of the answer. Until that day, I won't be preaching to anyone. I hope there is an afterlife and that living a decent life where you care for others and try to do no evil and repent when you do wrong gets you into heaven, because I want to go there. I hope there is a place after death where those who do unrepentant evil are punished. I hope that if there is 'one true' religion, that it allows those who were taught differently to go to heaven if they were good people. I hope there's a way into heaven for agnostics who are truly looking for answers.

7. The Monroe Doctrine and US Foreign Policy - I think the USA should try to be more self-sufficient. I think we should let other countries do as they please as long as they don't threaten the US. I think we should take actions to make sure that we aren't dependent on other countries for anything. I think the United Nations is useless and corrupt and should be abolished and rebuilt from the ground up, because the inmates are running the asylum.

8. Oil - I think the US should be spending 25% of its GNP to develop an alternative to fossil fuels. We should then share this with the rest of the world and let the Middle East fend for itself without the wealth that keeps it alive artificially. I think the world will be a much better place once all the oil reserves run out.

9. Personal responsibility - I think ultimately, everyone is responsible for their own choices in life. The USA was founded on the principle that "all men were created equal". This does not mean that all people are entitled to an equal start in life, because that simply isn't possible. We all have talents and detriments and advantages and disadvantages and we have to use what tools we are given to make whatever we can out of life. No one is entitled to anything they don't earn, but no one is entitled to take away unearned advantages from others, either. Blaming others for your own failures is a disservice to not only those who are blamed, but to those placing blame as well, for it inhibits the urge to overcome and instead encourages more failure.We should be judged not on where we end up, but on how far we have come to get there, because that is the measure of our individual achievements.

(I'm sure I have unconsciously stolen lots of that verbiage from stuff that I have read - don't sue me if I have unintentionally plagiarized! I know those words seem familiar to me, but I don't remember where I heard them)

There, now. You all know me a bit better. Do you still want to be my friends?

Hair Boy Goes Home

Phew! Idol lives for another season. Sanjaya goes home. I was pretty close in my bottom three prediction, but I had Chris and Blake reversed. I guess Chris's heartfelt sympathy for the Va Tech victims won him some votes. From this week on, Idol is serious business. 6 folks left.

The AI Power Rankings:
1. Melinda
2. Jordin
3. LaKisha
4. Blake
5. Chris
6. Phil

I have a hunch that LaKisha may be the next one to go. We'll see how that works out next week.

CountryTyme Lemon-flavored Idol

OK, don't expect me to remember all the song titles tonight. Country music is not my thing. Apparently, I have that in common with most of this year's Idols. I'll go through the group quickly tonight.

1. Phil - You know, when he sang "Tobacco Road" a few weeks ago, I thought he could do justice to redneck rock songs. He did the same tonight. It was pretty good. Not stunning, but pretty good. The judges told him that country may be his genre. Personally, I don't think he knows country music from a hole in the ground, but his voice seems to fit it fairly well.

2. Jordin - I remember the song was "Broken Wing" and it is a Martina McBride song, because she had to sing it in front of tonight's coach, Martina McBride. Well, Jordin absolutely blew away the audience, judges, television audience, etc. Best of the season. Simon told her that she could win it all (which I've been saying since week one, ahem.).

3. LaKisha - She chose to do "Jesus Take The Wheel", which was done by former idol Carrie Underwood. This was a bad bad bad bad bad choice. This song requires a sweet, lilting voice, and LaKisha....well, imagine James Brown singing a lullaby. Get it? This was another case of the elephant trying to tap-dance, just like last week. She's gonna be bottom three, I just know it.

4. Melinda - She picked some song no one had ever heard of called "Trouble was a lady". This was a straight blues song with country accompaniment. She did it very well, but missed some opportunities to mesh with the band and improve the song. There was a place at the end of the verses where it builds up to the chorus, and the drummer breaks up his beat a bit, hitting off-beats hard while the chords ascend chromatically. Melinda could have broken up her lyrics the same way and rode the wave into the chorus and brought the house down, but she didn't try it. I grade this the same way judges do olympic figure-skaters - it's a stunt that wasn't attempted, so the degree of difficulty of the routine suffers as a result.

5. Sanjaya - ppffft. Moronic song choice "Let's Give Them Something To Talk About" by Bonnie Raitt. He'd have done better trying to do Ozzy Osbourne. This was an abomination. William Hung was better. Off-pitch, Off-tempo, Got lost in the lyrics, improvised badly. If he doesn't go home this week, I don't know how we'll ever get rid of him, because he was offensive. Six-year olds playing violins in grade school concerts are easier to listen to.

6. Chris - I thought he'd have a chance doing country. He has a twang that sometimes hurts him in other kinds of music, but works fine for country. Unfortunately, he was off-pitch badly. He did a Rascal Flatts song, "Mayberry", and it really wasn't good. Flat (pitch-wise and performance-wise). Bottom three material.

7. Blake - He did a Tim McGraw song, and had the very same pitch problems as Chris. The judges didn't even mention it. Sometimes I wonder if they hear what we hear on TV. Anyway, I didn't like it at all.

I noticed something tonight, however. When they recap the show at the end, the clips of the songs are not the same as the live performances. I think these clips are shot in the final dress rehearsal right before the show starts, as I noticed they do not show the audience or judges in them. The pitch problems that Chris and Blake had, weren't present in the recap clip. Sanjaya wasn't off-key in his clip like he was when it was live. Is this cheating?

Here's my ranking for the evening:
1. Jordin
2. Melinda
3. Phil
4. Blake
5. LaKisha
6. Chris
7. Sanjaya

I want to believe it. I'm trying hard to believe it, but I have my doubts. This was by far the worst Sanjaya performance ever, and we've had some real stinkers from him before. I may be wrong, but I have to predict it.

Sanjaya goes home. This is the end of the joke. It's not funny any more.

Thoughts on the Virginia Tech Massacre

As most of you know, a gunman killed 32 students at Virginia Tech today, locking them inside a building and then systematically hunting them down in their barricaded classrooms.

The emotions that must be going through the survivors and the bereaved eludes me until I remember several frantic phone calls from my parents when I was in college. Those calls were regarding fears that wouldn't even approach what most parents of the Hokie students were feeling this morning, but it gave me a touchstone that I can use to gauge the depth of fear and remorse that these people are going through right now.

What I cannot understand is how trained police and administrators can fail to lock down a campus and cancel classes after a double murder takes place in one of their dorm rooms, and the gunman hasn't been caught. I find that unforgivable. The university president says that they had no indication that the murderer would rampage, and in fact had good reason to believe that he had left the campus. My response to that is "why the heck would you gamble lives on the best-case scenario, when cancelling classes and evacuating campus costs you so little?" His poor decision is even less forgivable in light of the fact that he had a similar situation just one year ago, and did the right thing in that situation!

The fact is, the campus police and the university administration not only had experience in a nearly identical situation, but had a year to make plans in case it would happen again! And it did! And they failed to do their utmost to protect the children in their care.

As the hours pass, we will learn more about the killer and the reasons for his rampage, but the parents of the survivors have many questions to ask of the administration for their mishandling of this situation. This wasn't preventable, but it could have been mitigated and many lives could have been saved.

Today We Go Yard Again

Today's plan: Get up and mow the lawn before the rain comes. Bernie plans to go to the farmer's market with Mom.

Today's actual happenings:

1. I get up, make breakfast, mow the lawn.
2. Bernie gets a call from Mom. "Meet me at Lowe's and we'll go to the farmer's market from there."
3. I've finished the lawn, so I tag along.
4. Farmer's Market fails to happen. Lowe's trip involves buying plants and flowers.
5. Remembering the next project we plan to do, I buy 25 castlewall retaining wall bricks for our flowerbed.
6. I proceed to lift 25 of these bricks off of a pile and onto my cart, by myself, while the ladies buy plants.
7. I load these bricks, weighing 20 lbs apiece, onto the truck. (I've now lifted 1000 lbs worth of bricks from squat position to upright so far - my back and arms are dead)
8. The whole family ends up bricking in our front flowerbed, edging the front lawn, planting the new plants, spreading mulch, replacing the edging around two trees with new bricks.
9. I BBQ some babyback ribs for dinner in repayment for everyone's labor.
10. Bernie and I go for a walk.

I'm too tired to do anything now, and I'm not sleepy enough to go to bed. It's going to storm tonight and rain tomorrow. Thank God for that. I won't have to do any more yard work.

Stupid People - a Plea For Social Darwinism

• Don Imus makes a wisecrack about "nappy-headed ho's" on the air.
  
  
• My wife's boss decides to have a screaming fit at an employee that has to be broken up by HR - directly in front of the CEO's office.
  
  
• Governor Corzine of New Jersey breaks 12 ribs, his femur (twice), and a vertebra in a car wreck - because he wasn't wearing his seat belt - while being chauferred by a State Highway Patrolman.

How are such dumb people getting such high-paying jobs?

Major Shake-Up on Idol!

Tonight turned American Idol on its head. I knew when they announced Latin music as the theme that it was ill-suited to most of the contestants, so I was quite interested to see what would happen.

I expected Melinda and Lakisha to fall to the middle of the pack tonight, and I was right. Otherwise, I had no idea how it would shake out. I also had no idea that nearly everyone on the show would totally drop the ball this week.

Melinda and Lakisha were up first.

Melinda performed a Latin-Jazz song (don't remember the title) with a muted rhythm and it was mild and bland. Not bad, but completely forgotten by the time she finished.

Lakisha attempted a song that would have put her on top, had it worked ("Conga" by Miami Sound Machine). Lakisha apparently can't handle quick lyrics and was very heavy-toned, and the song dragged hopelessly. This was like an elephant trying to tap-dance.

Chris tried "Smooth" by Santana, and his vocal range was not appropriate for the song. This is a low, smoky song, and high and whiny vocals don't work on it. The judges liked it, shockingly.

Haley tried "Turn the Beat Around", wearing micro-spandex shorts, and turned it into an aerobic routine. No power to her lyrics whatsoever, and she got out of breath. The judges just shook their heads in shame.

Phil performed "Maria Maria" by Santana, and I thought it was pretty darn solid. No love from the judges, as usual. I think they've got their favorites and just won't give credit where credit is due with Phil, as I thought he was good last week and they universally panned him. If he and Chris had traded songs, both of them would have been better this week.

(A side note - I don't want to hear "Spanish Harlem" in a song ever again. I think the phrase was used 10 times in the first 5 songs tonight.)

Blake came out and sang a Marc Anthony song and it totally clicked. I think he was the only singer tonight to actually feel the beat and use it. I sort of expected this theme would work for him, as he's shown himself to be very flexible and adaptable in the show this season.

Jordin sang "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You", and did a passable performance, however, the verses and chorus of this song are repetitive, and if you aren't rocking to the beat and conveying that to the audience, it doesn't work. I think her genuine enjoyment in this performance goes a long way, however - especially tonight when almost no one else enjoyed themselves on stage.

Then there was Sanjaya.

I didn't devote much thought to Latin music + Sanjaya this week. I probably should have. He's not got a lot of range in his voice. Latin is good for that. He likes to sing low. Latin is good for that. He likes to sell his performance with his personality. Latin is good for that. He likes to mug the camera while he sings. Latin is great for that. He likes to dress up. Latin is totally into that.

Holy crap, the kid totally outperformed everyone this week! This marks 3 weeks in a row where Sanjaya didn't suck. This week, he may have cracked the top two. He was the only one to sing a song that actually had Spanish words, and I'll give him bonus points for that.

(Another side note. Sanjaya is half Italian. You can tell because he grew a goatee in 6 days.)

So what does this do to my rankings for tonight?

1. Blake
2. Sanjaya (I can't believe it.)
3. Jordin
4. Melinda
5. Lakisha
6. Phil
7. Chris
8. Haley

America can vote however it wants, but I truly think my bottom three will be accurate, and either Phil or Haley are going home this week. Sanjaya might actually be the top vote-getter this week.

Va-Ca-Tion All I Ever Wanted!

3 days of lovely vacation with my lovely wife. Wish it could have lasted longer.

I'm sure Bernie will spin the tale better than I could. She'll probably post it on her blog soon.

Hong Kong Phooey!

We are now considering a 3 day stay in Hong Kong before our Malaysia trip. Believe it or not, it could actually save us $500 on each ticket. The drawback is due to the schedule of the flights, we'd have to take an additional vacation day and leave a day earlier. I'm leaning toward doing this. Dim Sum in Hong Kong! Cheap electronics!

Results

Gina goes home. I'm surprised, but I actually had her in my bottom three originally, then re-read my post and changed it. The shock is that she got fewer votes than Haley, who has been a fixture in the bottom three all season.

DialIdol has proven itself useless this season, as the voting is too close to call by its reckoning. It only dared call Melinda safe this week.

Sanjaya will outlast Phil and Haley, who will almost certainly be the next to go. Whether he outlasts Chris or Blake will be interesting.

Who absorbs Gina's voters next week? Gina had a unique style and her voters won't go over to the jazz singing women. I think Blake and Chris will get most of them, though if Jordin sings a rock song, she might be able to steal them.

Tonight's Idol report

After the departure of Chris Sligh, who has now admitted what I had observed, i.e, his heart hasn't been in it for weeks, the Idols did jazz standards tonight. Tony Bennett ran the masters' class.

What was unique tonight was that Sanjaya didn't suck. He wasn't good, by any means, but he was certainly not as hideous as he has been in the past - and he was (shockingly) entertaining.

What was not unique tonight was the lower-tier singers continuing to sing flat, pitchwise, and in too low of a key.

I disagreed with the judges just about every time they were critical. There were no instances of constructive criticism, just inane yammering. I expect better from Simon, at least, if not from the other two stooges.

Blake: "Mack the Knife". Too syrupy for my taste. Flat (pitch) in places. The band carried him. Mediocre. Nice dance moves, though. Safe this week.

Phil: "Night and Day". I felt he did it well - on pitch, on rhythm, good interpretation, understated. Judges disagree with me. Phil will be in the bottom two.

Chris: "Don't Get Around Much Anymore". I prefer the original version of this song to his, however, he did interpret it in a modern way and it worked. Still flat in places, as usual. Safe this week.

Melinda: "I Got Rhythm". Wonderful! She did the little-heard introduction slowly, then revved right into the fast chorus. Perfect pitch, and a nice finish as well. Top score.

Sanjaya: "Dancing Cheek To Cheek". As I said, he didn't suck. White tux, slicked hair. Went into the audience and danced with Paula and didn't miss more than one note while he did it. The media have been on a "It's OK to like Sanjaya" kick lately. He won't be in the bottom three this week (just like last week).

Gina: "Smile". I couldn't find a beat during this song, but apparently, she did. I blame the band and she overcame it. Good, but not real memorable. Weird wardrobe choice. Safe.

Haley: "Ain't Misbehavin'". Nice dress. Sang flat for most of the song. Moved around too much and got out of breath a bit. She's trying too hard and has been this way for weeks now. I put her in the bottom three, and probably send her home this week.

Jordin: "On a Clear Day". Hard song. Not normally a crowd-pleaser. She nailed it and made it into much more than it deserves. Perfect performance, LOOOOOOOOOONG high note at the end in perfect pitch and volume. I put her a tiny bit behind Melinda.

LaKisha: "Stormy Weather". This is cheating, and she shouldn't have been allowed to do this one. Too easy for her. She did it just like you would expect her to - which makes it unremarkable. Third place.

Top of the charts:
1. Melinda
2. Jordin
3. LaKisha

Middle of the road:
4. Gina
5. Blake
6. Sanjaya

Bottom three:
7. Chris
8. Phil
9. Haley

I'm predicting Haley's legs won't be around much anymore.

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

Thanks to my Dad, I now own a Nintendo Wii!

Dad got one a month or so ago and he loves it. The background story is that my Dad had surgery two years ago for spinal stenosis, which means that his spine grew bone spurs inside the spinal cord channel and they were putting pressure on his spinal cord, causing weakness and partial paralysis in his legs. He had surgery that fused and replaced two or three vertebrae, and it left his left arm extremely weak and numb and took away a lot of his range of motion. A year later, after therapy and exercise, he only had about 50% of his strength back.

Since he's gotten the Wii, he's been playing games using the motion-sensing controller, and he's made some incredible gains in range of motion and strength. I've been over to play a few times and it's quite a workout playing tennis and boxing and such. You actually sweat and breathe hard and are sore the next day.

Dad's made no secret that he thinks I should get one to encourage me to exercise more. The problem is that stores simply don't have them. When they get a shipment, it consists of 3 or 4 systems, and they are bought up within minutes of the store opening.

Well, I figured something was up this weekend. Bernie has the details of our Saturday on her blog. I had to work on Sunday (10 hours!!), and Bernie told me that my Dad had been calling the house looking for me several times on Sunday. He wanted us to come over. Since I didn't get home until after 8pm, we couldn't go over there. I called and talked to both Mom and Dad, and they did a good job of keeping a secret on the phone.

Today, Bernie called me at work and said that my Mom had told her that Dad had called and told her that we were coming over for dinner. I didn't remember actually making plans to do that, but we are always glad to eat my Mom's cooking, so I went straight over from work and Bernie drove over from the house.

Surprise! Dad had gotten his hands on a Wii! And furthermore, he got me Madden Football '07 to go with it. The great thing about Madden on the Wii, is that it takes advantage of the motion-sensing controller. You actually throw the ball, make juke moves on defenders, throw stiff-arms, break tackles, high-step (by drumming the controller), pump-fake, etc, by moving the remote. I tried it out at Dad's place, and it's freaking awesome!

I've gotten it hooked up over at our house, now, and I can't wait to start playing this thing. By the way, here's an article about a guy in Australia that lost 10 lbs and 10cm in six weeks playing games on his Wii.

Do I have great parents, or what?