Ten on Tuesday: The Karaoke Education Edition

1. There is no shame in having fans. What? She had mad lipstick.








2. Don't pick your nose in public.








3. Don't forget to SMILE.








4. Never be afraid to break it down.








6. Try it. You might LIKE it.








7. You can find kindred spirits in even the strangest bar folk.










8. Shots are dee-licious.








9. Learn. To. Unzoom.








10. And lastly... Be careful. Too much love... can result... in babies.

New Camera

So I'm going to get myself a new camera... and after some research today, I am leaning heavily towards the PowerShot SD1100 IS. It is second or third best on Consumer Reports, and rated 7.6/10 on cNet. Most reviews are very positive, with a few on Amazon referencing a "lens error, restart" issue (which is apparently common for all telescoping lenses... not just this one). The only thing holding me back just a little is that it only has 8 mega pixels (wanted 10) and 4x optical zoom (wanted more). But all reviews say that it's stellar quality just the same. Retail price is somewhere between $200-$250.

But now there's the new Canon SD line to confuse me just a little more: PowerShot SD890 IS, PowerShot SD790 IS, PowerShot SD770 IS. And they're "new." Since I think the SD890 IS is out of my price range ($379), I compared the other three on Canon's web site. What am I giving up with the SD110 IS? 10 mega pixels, 1/60-1/1500 sec shutter speed options, faster shooting speed, and a larger LCD. Still a 4x zoom.

So what do you think? I'm a fan of SD790/SD770's 10 mega pixels and the super fast shutter speed - just think of all of the lightening photos I could to take! But that may not be worth it. I don't know! Does anyone have the SD1100 IS or know anyone with it? Of course, I want the Bohemian Brown color (see pic) because it's pretty. I'm about 85% of the way there with this camera, I just need some feedback. I know some of you have lots of web surfing time at work (coughjwercough), so if you see it for any great prices when you look it up... tell me! (Best Buy walk-in price is $249.99).

Productivity

I'm being both productive and lazy today. This is the best day ever. I slept in, which is NOT good for tomorrow, but was lovely for today, and I've both played and accomplished quite a lot so far. Oh, and I didn't shower. HA! I shouldn't be proud of that, but I am.

Sleep - check
Two loads of laundry - check
Made iced tea - check (which is getting interesting because I'm using random tea bags in my house)
Trash - check
Make bed (clean sheets) - check
Play Pharaoh (damn it, I'm gonna win this stupid game) - check
Chat with the neighbors - check
Plan girls dinner - check
Plan dinner this week - check
Make lunches/dinners - check
Investigate new camera options - check
Go through 'Tonio's toys - check
Watch The Fugitive and Patriot Games on VHS - check (sort of b/c I watched them while doing other things, too.)
Start packing - check

I can't believe it's almost 8 PM! Wow... can I really go to bed in two hours? I really doubt it.

Karaoke

Karaoke without Poncabird stinks. Last night a group of us planned a night of karaoke, but Poncabird (my new fav karaoke place) wasn't doing karaoke because the KJ was at the Ravens game. I was pretty irritated, honestly. But I made Jessica tell me that I was overreacting and that this wasn't worth getting upset over, and I calmed down.

So after Molly's birthday party at Bay Cafe (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOLLY), we headed to Walts Inn for a few songs, and then on to The Knotty Pine Inn for the remainder of the evening. Overall - tons of fun. On a karaoke 1-10 scale with 10 being Poncabird, the night was a 6. Shameful. (But the crowd was a 10!) I won't be around for karaoke next week because I'm going home to Ohio to see my grandma, but maybe in a few weeks I'll be able to head back to Poncabird. My August through October are filling up - with a visit home, wedding, possible trip to NC, jury duty, possible trip to OC, work event, and visit home for the NKOTB concert. Not to mention that I'm going to NYC in November to see Jodi's cabaret. How am I going to do all of this?

(Photos of the evening to come later today or this week...)

List Day

So I was chatting with a friend of mine today about a number of TV shows, and it occurred to me that I've wanted to create a few lists: a list of books to be read, a list of TV Series already watched, and a list of TV Series to be watched. Yes, I realize I'm lame, and that, in order to find the love of my life, I'll have to look for someone who is willing to stay home randomly and watch entire serieseseses of TV shows... ugh. Hopeless. I get it.

Anyway... on to the lists.

Book List
The Secret Girl by Molly Bruce Jacobs - IN PROGRESS!
Searching for Life: The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo and the Disappeared Children of Argentina by Rita Arditti
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody
A Ship Made of Paper by Scott Spencer
1984 by George Orwell
The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings
Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss
Getting Stoned with Savages by J. Maarten Troost

Series' Watched
The Sopranos (All Seasons) - DONE
OZ (All Seasons) - DONE
Arrested Development (whole series) - DONE
The Hills (Seasons 1-3) - DONE
Dexter (Season 1) - DONE THIS WEEK
Wonderfalls (All Episodes) - JUST FINISHED!

Series' To Be Watched
The Hills (Seasons 4-?) - starts August 18th
Dexter (Seasons 2-?) - Season 2 DVD releases August 19th; Season 3 starts September 28th
Firefly (All Seasons)
Six Feet Under (All Seasons)
Deadwood (All Seasons)
The Wire (All Seasons)
Battlestar Galactica (Seasons 1-?)

So... it's a lot. And if anyone has any of the "Series' To Be Watched" shows on DVD so that I can borrow them... all the better. (Yes, JWER. I'll return yours soon - almost done.)

Baltimore John Watch

Some of you have seen this already, and I've been keeping tabs on it, but there's a new blog out there called Baltimore John Watch. I guess the residents of Pigtown aren't happy with the multitude of prostitutes, johns, and drugs littering their streets - and they've decided to do something about it.

Baltimore John Watch is actually posting descriptions of men, their cars, and their MD license plate numbers on the site once they've been spotted picking up (or trying to pick up) a prostitute. Isn't that great/funny/ingenious? These men are getting exactly what they deserve.

So check it out, and hopefully no one you know pops up on this site, because a) that's nasty, and b) the site has already hit the TV news and The Baltimore Examiner, so exposure is just a mouse click away...

Working from Home

Elliott really likes to watch the Olympics. He especially likes the gymnastics floor routines...

You think the animals like having me home? Antonio next to me on the couch and Elliott on my lap. I can never stay this way for too long.

Sick

I am. Left work at noon today and haven't had the best afternoon. Two other people at work have a stomach problem. Anyone know what's going around??

Ugh

I don't know what's wrong, but I don't feel well. I felt hot/warm all day, then slight dizzy/nausea set in around 5 PM. I came home, ate a cold slice of pizza, and I've been on the couch all night. I even took my temperature when I got home - first 92, then 94, and last I checked it was 98. Weird, right? I just feel yucky. Not flu like, really... But I feel weak - like my muscles don't want to work. Ugh.

On the positive side (I try), I watched all of the Big Brother 10s I've missed, so I am up to speed. The number one most disturbing thing about Big Brother 10???? Michelle's last name is Costa. Yes. So here's the thing: I am Scottish-Irish and Italian, but "Costa" is actually a Portuguese name. I know. So, to make a long story short, a long, long time ago there was a guy named Alfredo Costa that assassinated the Portuguese king. It's true. Read about it here. So rumor has it that the family likely fled Portugal in disgrace, shame, whatever, and it's possible that some of them settled in Italy. Do I know for sure? No. But I am Italian and my name is Portuguese, so let me know if you have any other ideas.

That said... Michelle REALLY gets on my nerves. She's so irritating. The whole alliance is irritating and their treatment of Dan is atrocious. It makes me sick. So, no, I don't know if I'm related at all to her (like 10th cousins, right?), but I'm not a Michelle fan. And we're both Costas... ugh. Shameful.

Lastly... my sister owns a dog. His name is Wimbly and he's an Eski-poo. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. (Yes, that's what is going through my head.) Antonio has a dog-cousin. OMG. OMG. OMG. I'll post a pic as soon as I have one... OMG. (And ugh.)