Where do you fit in at Seattle Grace?

You are most like:

Miranda Bailey

(75% match)

Affectionately (or maybe not so affectionately), Miranda Bailey is known to hospital staff as "the Nazi" due to her intense leadership style, "in your face" personality, and tendency to deliver insults rather than compliments. This gruff exterior appears to hide a much softer personality and warmer heart than people might at first expect. While Bailey is very tough on her interns, she is just as demanding of everyone else around her - including herself. She is a strong leader and very much commands the respect of the staff at the hospital. She is not a "warm and fuzzy" kind of person, but people tend to like her nonetheless. After taking time away from the hospital for maternity leave, Miranda was greeted with smiles and hugs when she returned to the hospital.

Grey's Anatomy Personality Test - Great show! Interesting format for the 'test' too.

**P.S. 100th post - yeah! **

The next Gomorrah?

First it's marijuana and prostitutes, then next thing you know...pedophilia. Sometimes the slippery slope really is that slippery.

Growing up, whenever one of us did or said something goofy, silly, crazy, or just plain stupid, my (German) Grandpa's standard response was, "You're Dutch!" Maybe he was on to something there.

Why do I always get the nerdy one?

Why am I not surprised? I never did understand how Bert could stand to live with that flake, Ernie.

You Are Bert

Extremely serious and a little eccentric, people find you lovable - even if you don't love them! You are usually feeling: Logical - you rarely let your emotions rule you You are famous for: Being smart, a total neat freak, and maybe just a little evil How you live your life: With passion, even if your odd passions (like bottle caps and pigeons) are baffling to others

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

Kudos, odderie.

Quote of the Day

"You should listen to your heart, and not the voices in your head."
-Marge Simpson

The many sides of lakhawk

I had two magazines in my mailbox on Saturday. Each had a cover story on impending global catastrophe. They couldn't have been more different.

A point for anybody who can guess which one claims it's a wonder we're even still here. A bonus point for anybody who can guess which I read first.

Oh, and for the truly curious, the #1 most conservative rock song is The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again."

Underwater Volcano

This is super cool, you totally have to check it out:

"(AP) An unmanned probe got within feet of a violent underwater eruption in the Pacific Ocean, returning with the clearest footage ever captured of seismic activity under the sea, a team of Japanese and U.S. researchers said."

Make sure you view the video on the right side of the screen. And turn up the volume if you want to hear giddy nerds.

It's about time

My favorite childhood movie is finally coming out on DVD! That's right, The Chipmunk Adventure will be released on DVD, after all these years. I still remember my dad taking me to see it in the theater when I was a little kid. I remember it being one of the first videos I chose to rent when we got a VCR for Christmas. [Jem was first, tee hee] Yet another reason I love Netflix - how else would I have known? I can finally retire the copy I taped off of television roughly 16 years ago. Now, I'm sure you're wondering, does she really need to get the DVD of this childhood throwback? Yes, I do. I just watched it again a few weeks ago. I'm not proud, I'll admit it, I love it. Go ahead, make fun of me, but how many of you are looking forward to the new Transformers movie? Exactly.

AI Finale

Taylor won. I missed most of the show because I had to run some errands. I'll fast forward through the schlock at a later date. I just don't care anymore - Ryan Seacrest can really get on your nerves. Besides, the Lost finale AND the White Sox were on too.

I used to like gentrification...

...until it ruined my favorite grocery store. The Dominick's grocery store I go to about once a month to do my major shopping is having its grand re-opening after some renovation and refurbishing. At first I was really liking it; the produce section was great. And with my Fresh Values card, I got 1 lb. containers of strawberries for 99 cents. Granted, you had to pick through them pretty carefully, but you always do with strawberries. The bulk foods (granola, nuts, etc.), deli meat and cheese, and bakery sections had basically the same selection but with a better presentation. Great. But then I got to the rest of the store.

I don't care if they're slapping up condos left and right in the South Loop and you're flooded with yuppies, that doesn't mean the grocery store can stop selling groceries! While I could get most everything on my list, there were a few basic items missing. And the brand and flavor selections were severely diminished. I don't need to buy Williams-Sonoma cookbooks or Fiestaware at the grocery store. That's what Amazon is for. I would however like to get things like hashbrowns or chicken bouillon there. You know, groceries.

The baking aisle is down to 1/2 an aisle. And roughly 1/2 of that is organic baking mixes and "gourmet" seasonings. Seriously people, I don't need "Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Seasoning Blends." I actually know how to cook and can flavor things myself, thanks. Isn't it ironic that the same people who are obsessing over their free-range eggs and organic hydroponic tomatoes will buy overpriced crap like that rather than just using real spices? But if it has Emeril's name on it, it must be good. All that, but no bouillon - cubes or granules, chicken or beef. How could I be so foolish as to want to make my own soup when, for the same price, I could buy 1/8 as much of the Gold Label brand? There I go, trying to be healthy and frugal again!

In all fairness, I should disclose that could have bought the hashbrowns there - if I had been willing to get "O"rganic Simply Potatoes hashbrowns at $6 for 1/2 pound. Even the Hyde Park Co-Op doesn't charge that much. That's where I'll be going for my Ore-Idas tomorrow.

Best Sports Movies

I just finished watching one of my all-time most favorite movies ever, The Natural. Even if you don't like baseball (shame on you!), you should be able to enjoy this story. It doesn't matter how many times I've seen it, that last scene with the lights exploding is just plain awesome. I'm reminded of it every time I hear the fireworks echoing across to the lake from US Cellular Field.

Other sports movies of note:

Field of Dreams - Growing up in Iowa, how could I not love this one? And I have, of course, visited the Field of Dreams in Dyersville. It was an afternoon of good old-fashioned family fun. Of course, my siblings and I regularly did things like "HBP practice," so you might not have the same idea of fun.

Hoosiers - The best basketball film ever. And the best sports movie ever, according to ESPN. Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper - need I say more? Ok, fine, I will: "And boys, don't get caught watching the paint dry."

A League of Their Own - The best sports comedy. Back when Rosie O'Donnell was funny. Back when Tom Hanks was funny. Back when Jon Lovitz was only moderately creepy. All together now, "There's no crying in baseball!" That maxim applies to fastpitch softball, too, even if my coach senior year of high school didn't agree.

Caddyshack - This is only nominally a sports movie, in my opinion. (That's why it isn't the best sports comedy.) But it is set at a country club, much of the action is centered on golf, and it is so unbelievably funny I couldn't ignore it.

Remember the Titans - A great story and a good film. And you can watch it with your mom without blushing. It's just plain sweet and fun.

And a few more worth a quick mention:
Major League, Rudy, Eight Men Out, Bend It Like Beckham (even if it is about soccer), Tin Cup, 61*

Now, talk amongst yourselves, I'll give you a topic...oh wait, I just did.

American Idol: The Finals

Well, here it is, my second-to-last AI recap for the season. And I'm glad. I was looking back through my archives the other day, and I think my blog was much more interesting before American Idol. I hope you've enjoyed the other more recent posts and are looking forward to more of them. I know I am.

Shockingly, we start with a montage of how the two finalists, Taylor and Katharine, made it to tonight. And if you haven't figured me out by now, yes, that was sarcasm. Is it sad that I'm more excited for the House previews than for the Idol finals? It's just such a good show.

Katharine is kicking things off with "Black Horse and Cherry Tree." I'm glad to see she's standing up tonight. This is a fun song that has grown on me since I first heard her sing it. Randy's right, this was better than her first attempt at it, which was also fine.

Next up is Taylor with "Living for the City." That bright purple velvet jacket is disgusting. This was a standard Taylor performance - energetic and fun. And the jacket doesn't fit well, either. This was a little spastic compared to Katharine's fun, laid-back energy.

Katharine is back singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" again. I thought last week was the performance of the season, from anybody, so I'm looking forward to hearing it again. It's just such a gorgeous song, and she does it SO well. I don't care that I just heard it last week, I'm totally loving it again.

Taylor is singing "Levon" now. I'm not sure how I feel about all of these repeats. Again, though, I really liked this song the first time he did it, and he's doing well again. It's a good contrast to the first song, though I would have liked a little more power at the end. These second performances really distinguish the two; Kat kicked butt this round.

Completely unrelated to either of these second performances, why is everyone in the audience waving their arms for these two songs? After the commercial break, we'll be hearing the Idol's debut singles. Take a deep breath and steel yourself, these are always ridiculous.

Katharine is singing "My Destiny." I don't know that it's as fitting as Ryan seems to think, we'll see. This is not the best I've heard from Katharine, but it's ok. The choir, complete with royal blue robes, is a bit much though. This was just fine, nothing that would blow anyone away. Randy's right, the song wasn't great, but she did a good job with it.

Taylor's debut single would be "Do I Make You Proud." Like I said before, these songs are never that good. And here comes the cheesy choir again. Like Katharine, Taylor's singing fine, but this song just isn't his thing. He's trying to make it his own, but it's falling a little short - it sounded like "Levon, redux."

Contrary to Simon's comment that Taylor won, I think it's too close to call. Katharine is a little more in the traditional Idol mold, but Taylor has a huge following. I guess we'll just wait and see tomorrow night.

Daniel Powter is closing out the show with this season's brush-off song live. That's sweet. (Again, sarcasm people!) Now on to House, my real favorite show.

Mmmmm, cake

My sister and I made this cake with my nieces (ages 9 and 4) on Mother's Day weekend. Yes, that is another sheet cake underneath the duck cake - the girls insisted he needed a pond to swim on. He was quite tasty, if slightly deformed. At various points during this project, the girls got into little spats, during one of which the younger said to the older, "you're the meanest big sister ever." My sister assured her that couldn't possibly be true, as I was in fact the meanest big sister ever. I was pleased that she refused to believe it (because I am "one of the best aunt [sic] ever" - I have the picture they drew me that says so to prove it). My sister was able to win her over, though, by explaining that being an aunt is different than being a sister and bringing Uncle John (my younger brother) in to back her up. They didn't complain so much when I was doing their laundry and making them Mac-n-Cheese or PB&J with the crusts cut off.

Grammar Police

I like to think I have fairly decent grammar. I didn't major in English or Linguistics or anything unemployable like that, but the UI Tippie College of Business takes writing quite seriously. And before that, my mother took the English language quite seriously. I mean, how many people had their junior high and high school assignments proofread at the kitchen table with a red pen? Many of my good friends consider themselves "grammar nazis," especially Law Fairy. (And they still speak to me, so I think I'm safe.) So here is my contribution to carping about how people are just lazy and ignorant with their English these days:

Baby-Daddy and Baby-Mama

Anyone who has heard pre-"Hey Ya!" Outkast knows these terms refer to a biological parent (of your child) with whom you are not romantically involved. ***Tabloid writers take note*** Tom Cruise cannot be a baby-daddy, as he is engaged to the mother of his newest child. K-Fed cannot be a baby-daddy, as he is actually married to the mother of his children. I know such a situation is increasingly unusual these days, but is it really that confusing for you all?

For more on this latest symptom of the decline of civilization, see this Slate article.
And for what looks like it would be a very tasty summer cocktail, see this drink recipe: The Babymama.

Welcome Home, Claire

One of the high points of my week home in Iowa was that I reclaimed my flute, Claire. Yes, I named my flute - we'll get back to that later. Since I wasn't going to be playing much/seriously when I left home for college, I left my good flute (and the piccolo) for my sister to use while she was in high school. I took the old Yamaha student model for playing around on when I felt like it, and that was fine for a while. But my sister just finished her second year of college, and I have ridiculous amounts of time on my hands, so I wanted the good one back. So now Claire, my open-holed, b-footed baby, is back in Chicago with me. She's in pretty good shape, too. One small dent in the foot joint and a two little tarnish spots, one of which is on the embouchure plate. And there was some sort of adhesive thumb-pad stuck on, but it was so old it came off without residue or harm. I should probably get the keypads checked out at some point, too, but for now she's in decent working order.

But back to the name issue. Claire is of Latin origin and means "bright, clear." I thought this was fitting for my flute, as, ideally, that is how she would sound. And when I was in high school, she did. I was good...first chair good. Unfortunately, after not playing seriously for 8 years - and not at all for 1 year - my tone was anything but "bright and clear." I'm seriously ashamed that I've let my talent atrophy like that. My lips were mush after 20 minutes, and no embouchure means no high notes. It's going to take several weeks of steady practice - lots of scales, tone studies, and etudes - to get back to something even beginning to approach an acceptable sound. Honegger, Bloch and Faure are just going to have to wait for now.

Why I Love the White Sox

Above and beyond the fact that they play good, fun baseball, here is just one of the many reasons the reigning World Series Champs are my favorite team:
"Cubs tempers boil, bats fizzle as ChiSox win"

And if you look soon, you can see the video:
"Collision sparks Cubs-White Sox brawl"

Gee, this is a welcome change. Usually it's the fans throwing punches at The Cell.

Dinner Out

I don't think my expectations for people's behavior are all that terribly demanding. Basically, if you're a half-way decent human being and treat other people with a modicum of respect, then we won't have any major problems. However, when people can't handle that, I have a number of pet peeves:

• People who speak exceedingly loudly in public places, especially restaurants.
• People who treat children poorly.
• Cell phone use in certain public places - Wal-Mart, no problem; restaurant, rude.

Tonight my mom and I went to dinner and hit the trifecta. All you can eat shrimp night at a chain steak place, so you can imagine the general clientele, but there was one woman who was practically yelling at the rest of the people at her table the whole time. She said nasty things to her grandson, who looked to be about 3 or 4 years old, including, "look what you made her do," when a waitress dropped something (totally unrelated to anything the kid had done). Her cell phone rang no less than 8 times in 45 minutes. From the conversation - I could hear her half quite clearly - it seemed to be the same person several times. At one point, her grandson ran in front of me and she said "let the little lady go by first." As I then walked past, she said to me, "where's my quarter? I called you 'little lady' doesn't that deserve a tip?" I *almost* said "no, I'm a 26-year-old professional, it's actually quite an insult," but managed to restrain myself. By the time we left, my eye was twitching. I knew there was a reason I grabbed my Enya CD on the way out of the house; the soothing adult contemporary music was quite a relief.

The other guests of note were a guy with two adorable, well-behaved children at the table behind us. It was obviously a divorced dad on his one night with the kids. It was kind of sad, but also really cute how excited they were to be with him. The little boy showed us his coloring book on the way out - the dump truck is his favorite.

AI: Almost there

I'm not looking forward to this hour-long elimination, so let's get to it...

Kellie got a haircut and Ace still isn't as hot as he thinks he is. I wonder what other random audience shots we'll get tonight.

Recaps...and more recaps...and still recapping.

Tonight's Ford commercial was ridiculous. But not as ridiculous as Ryan calling it a "music video." I wish I'd fast forwarded through it.

I want X-Men 3. That would be so much better than having to watch the finalists in their hometowns. So here are the highlights:

Taylor - When he's playing the guitar and singing he doesn't dance. He should do that more. Why do people still give a 'key to the city'? Nobody has walled, gated cities anymore. And who really wants the key to Birmingham? The mayor of Hoover, AL, has NO rhythm. The first lady of Alabama is wearing some freakish pink trench coat dress thing. Wow.

The best part of Taylor's performance of "Takin it to the Streets" was Elliott and Katharine doing his dance moves behind him. That's the first time all season Elliott has genuinely entertained me.

Katharine - Kat's from Sherman Oaks, so she had a short trip home. That explains how her parents can be at every episode. L.A. is kind of ridiculous if you ask me, and the aerial view of her high school just confirmed that perception.

Katharine is singing "Think" and doing a fine job. None of the performances are making me want to rush out and buy the American Idol CD, though. Maybe if Ryan says it just a few more times. Or not. Oh sweet - Todd Bridges sighting in the audience!

Elliott - I've been to Richmond, VA, and "amazing" isn't exactly the word I'd use for it. It's a nice enough southern town, but nothing that special. But more importantly, my mom has just pinpointed why his mouth looks so deformed. He must chew - or he did at some point. And how ridiculously overly sentimental is it to sing "Home" on this trip? That was a pathetic excuse for a first pitch, though at least it was generally the right direction. Good heavens...Paula is crying again. What a nut job.

"Mood for Love" is Elliott's track on the American Idol CD, and you know how I feel about Elliott the crooner. It was especially bad tonight, though.

And now we're finally going to get to the results. But first another CD plug. And more Clive Davis. And, of course, yet another commercial break. The more than 50 million votes cast broke down 33.06%, 33.26%, 33.68%. Wow, that is close, but you know what they say - close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades. Elliott had the lowest percentage - it's about time. I don't have to be mad at you America. That's a relief.

Watching the "Had a Bad Day" montage, I have one thought: I hope he keeps his hair longer, it's a big improvement.

See you next week for the final showdown between Taylor and Kat(harine)!

AI: Three is a magic number

I'm a little late tonight because I've spent my day (and evening) outside at my parents' in Iowa doing some serious yard work and garage cleaning. So it's 11, and I'm just now watching the tape of American Idol and House. That's right, tape, as in VCR. Yep, I've been slumming it. I'll post more about my adventures in gardening later, but for now, on with the show...

Tonight, each of the three finalists - Taylor, Elliott, and Katharine - will sing three songs - one they choose, one chosen by the judges, and one selected by "legendary music producer, Clive Davis." But before anyone sings, two questions: Where did Ryan lose his razor? and Why is Randy booing Simon?

Hmmmm, so we have Clive Davis to blame for Barry Manilow AND Kenny G. And anything Britney and Justin Timberlake have put out recently.

Clive Davis picks:

Elliott - Journey's "Open Arms" - This song was chosen to let Elliott show off the power of his voice, but he's sounding a little rough this week. Maybe the competition is getting to him. Like his over-used vibratto is getting to me. This was dull, definitely not final three material.

Katharine - R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" - "A modern day classic." really? REALLY? I mean, I liked Space Jam as much as the next person, but modern day classic? Yeah, kind of like how TNT has decided any movie it shows on Friday night is a "new classic." This is a good sound for her - the best she's sounded in weeks, even. Very powerful.

Taylor - Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" - This should be interesting. It's kind of like the Jersey version of Sam Cooke and the songs he was singing during auditions. The performance was fine, he was comfortable, he was having fun. The best of these first three songs.

Judges' picks:

Elliott - "What You Won't Do For Love" - Paula chose this song for "the funky white boy with soul." That's disturbing in so many ways. She's disturbing in so many ways. And I'm sorry, but I will just never ever ever never get into him singing songs about love. This does fit his voice well, but it's a little dull. Again.

Katharine - "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" - Simon has had this one in mind for her for a long time, so it better be good. But why is she sitting/kneeling/laying on the floor again? WOW. I don't care about the choreography anymore, she was awesome. Simon was right, this was the moment for her. Amazing. My mom thought so too. She so better make the finals.

Taylor - "You Are So Beautiful" - Randy picked this because he gets a Joe Cocker vibe from Taylor. Well duh. This was a solid performance - nothing too flashy, but appropriately tender and well-done. I think it's clear after this round who the two finalists should be.

Contestant pick:

Elliott - "I Believe To My Soul" - Why on earth would you pick a Ray Charles song with Taylor still in the competition? Again, nothing special. And he was back to being unintelligible. This should have made me want to move, but there was absolutely no energy in this groove, just some yelling and warbling. Bad all around. Too bad making your mom proud and making the finals aren't the same thing.

Katharine - "I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues" This was interesting and kind of fun, but it was a bit of a let-down after her last song. She's not Ella, but she's good. I think an album she would make is one I would actually think about buying.

Taylor - "Try A Little Tenderness" - Otis Redding, imagine that. But there's a reason he goes back to these songs. Mom thinks he was awful, but I kind of liked it. It was fun, it fit him, it was a good choice. Simon's right, the end was ridiculous, but he should be safe for next week.

I better be watching Taylor and Katharine in the finals next week or I will be very unhappy with you, America!

AI: Three left

This was not a good night, so I could have lived without the "highlights." I still hate the commercials, but this one wasn't quite as ridiculous as some of the others. Oooh, and what results show would be complete without a group song? Wow, a medley. More Elliott warbling, Taylor spasms, and Chris attempting to fill the sultry bad-boy role. But Katharine was good - too bad she didn't sing that well last night. Good gravy, will this ever end?

Hmmm, I wonder if the impromptu request was a coy way of avoiding having the loser's final performance cut off? But first, they've been divided up: Taylor and Elliott on one side, Chris and Kat on the other. I have no idea which group is which. And of course there will be a commercial break before we find out.

Taylor and Elliott are safe. So who's leaving - Chris or Kat?!
Chris is going home?! He's not my favorite, but I figured after last night Katharine would be headed home. Wow, crazy. I'm sure he'll be fine though. He's built up quite a following here.

Too bad he has to go out singing Elvis.

TTFN!

AI does Elvis

Ok, a quick summary of last night's performances before tonight's elimination.

But first, I assume everyone noticed who was glaringly absent from the list of the numerous artists Tommy Mottola has guided. (hint: it was his ex wife)

Taylor - "Jailhouse Rock" and "In The Ghetto"
This should have been Taylor's night but he fell a little short of wow-ing me. I enjoyed his performances, as usual, and I didn't think there was anything technically wrong. However, I just can't ever hear "In The Ghetto" without thinking of Eric Cartman. And Simon is overusing the "Karaoke" insult this year.

Chris - "Suspicious Minds" and "A Little Less Conversation"
I didn't think he was as great as the judges. I like both of these songs, and he performed them ably, but it was just ok for me. It was nice to hear him doing something not-as-screamy. But come on, "Suspicious Minds" was on the Lilo and Stitch soundtrack and isn't "A Little Less Conversation" the theme on NBC's Las Vegas? I'm not sure how his Rocker base will respond to that.

Elliott - "If I Can Dream" and"Trouble"
First, I would have hoped he would have known the title to his song, it's can not could. Elliott seems to have found his niche with the whole crooner vibe. Great, in theory, but he just doesn't have the look and personality to really sell it. His voice is growing on me - when he controls the vibratto - but he'll just never be my favorite.

Katharine - "Hound Dog/All Shook Up" and "Can't Help Falling in Love"
I think Kat did well this week, given that she was a woman trying to sing Elvis. Her first selection, a medley of two fun hits was adventurous. Her second performance, though, was very disappointing. She totally oversang the end; it would have been much more powerful if she'd backed off a bit. Those ballads are her bread and butter, she should have owned it, but just gave an adequate performance her second time out.

I have no idea who will exit this week. I hope not Kat, but I'm afraid she's pretty vulnerable.

What are you thinking, FOX? 2

I'm watching House on FOX and Dr. House just made a reference to "call[ing] in Jack Bauer." What is up with all the cross-promotion this week?! Does 24 really need a ratings boost? Puh-leez.

AI: 5-1=4

I missed the live results because I was having dinner with my ex at Alinea. I'll have a separate post on that. It was incredible.

A group song - we haven't seen one of those for awhile. I could have lived without this one. And, gee, a commercial. Paris looks much older in the commercial than she does performing. I like the attitude. Other than that, this commercial is more ridiculous than Ryan's scripted banter.

On to the elimination...
Taylor is safe - phew!
Chris is safe - ehhh.
Paris - bottom two. And she's singing that awful rendition of "Kiss" again. Way to fill time.
**commercial break** Way to build suspense. *zzzzzzzzzzzzz*
Elliot and Kat - Kat is safe and Elliott is in the bottom two. He's singing "On Broadway." It's as ridiculous as it was last night. Seriously, tone down the vibrato. Seriously.

Elliott is safe and Paris is leaving. I'm disappointed. I figured it was coming - she's been in the bottom a couple of times. But still, how can Elliott still be here? I'm sure we'll see/hear great things from her, though.

Ok, I'm going to go pass out now. Good heavens the wine pairing with dinner was fantastic.

Dating Top Ten

I'm not sure how I feel about this...
(sorry for the format, I'm not proficient enough to alter the code)

Your dating personality profile: Religious - Faith matters to you. It is the foundation that you build your life upon. You trust that God has a plan for you. Practical - You are a down-to-earth individual who is not impressed with material excess. You care about the stuff of like that really matters. Intellectual - You consider your mind amongst your assets. Learning is not a chore but a constant search after wisdom and knowledge. You value education and rationality.

Your date match profile: Practical - You are drawn to people who are sensible and smart. Flashy, materialistic people turn you off. You appreciate the simpler side of living. Intellectual - You seek out intelligence. Idle chit-chat is not what you are after. You prefer your date who can stimulate your mind. Religious - You seek someone who is grounded in faith and who possesses religious values. You believe that a religious person can enhance your life.

Your Top Ten Traits 1. Religious 2. Practical 3. Intellectual 4. Conservative 5. Athletic 6. Traditional 7. Funny 8. Adventurous 9. Wealthy/Ambitious 10. Stylish

Your Top Ten Match Traits 1. Practical 2. Intellectual 3. Religious 4. Traditional 5. Conservative 6. Adventurous 7. Wealthy/Ambitious 8. Funny 9. Athletic 10. Shy

Take the Online Dating Profile Quiz at Dating Diversions

AI: Final Five

Tonight each of the five remaining finalists will be singing two songs - one from the year they were born, and one from this week's Billboard Top 10 charts. I'm going to go out on a limb right now and say I will know all of the "old" songs, even those sung by the two finalists older than me, but I will know no more than 2 of the current hit songs. The following are the presets on my radios (car and alarm): 94.7 True Oldies, 94.9 the Lite, 97.1 The Drive, 98.7 WFMT (classical), 99.5 US99 Country, 100.3 Love FM, and 104.3 JACK.

Elliott, 1978, George Benson's "On Broadway" - This song always makes me think of LeVar Burton and Ben Vereen. I think of both of them because I can't remember which one it was that I first heard singing it. I know we all have fond memories of Reading Rainbow, but does anybody else remember Zoobilee Zoo? I was watching RR with my nieces and they were shocked that I watched in when I was their age. I believe the words, "wow, this show has been on a very long time" were uttered. Anyway, by the length of this entry, you may have surmised that Elliott was just average. Yeah he has a good voice, but his performance certainly didn't pull my attention away from my reminiscences.

Paris, 1988, Prince's "Kiss" - Interesting. This is not a song that you "sing." It was ok, but nothing special.

Chris, 1979, "Renegade" - I guess there are three contestants older than me! Ewwww, back to the same-old, same-old from Chris. This is why I don't like hard rock, it all sounds the same to me.

Kat, 1984, "Against All Odds" - Ahhhh, the Eighties. I'm so glad she chose a song that allows her to show off her talent. (hint, hint, Paris) It was a little lacking in energy, but her voice made up for it.

Taylor, 1976, Wild Cherry "Play That Funky Music" - This is the perfect song for him! Great energy, but it also showed vocal talent. Best of the "retro" performances.

Elliott is back with "Home" by Michael Buble (Album?). I have the taste of a middle-aged woman, so I like Michael Buble. However, I don't like Elliott Yamin, and I really don't like him doing Michael Buble. It's the same feeling I had when he sang "It Had to be You" and I was upset because he's not Harry Connick, Jr. If you're going to be a crooner, you have to have the looks to match the voice. And he doesn't. Oh, and the singing itself wasn't that great either.

Paris "Be Without You" by Mary J. Blige (R&B). This fit Paris. The girl can sing, and she showed it on this song. I'm still not sure it will be enough for her this week, though.

Chris "I Dare You" by Shinedown (Modern Rock). Yep, so far I'm 1/3 with recognizing songs. We've established I don't like rock music, but I guess Chris is good at being a rocker. It's just not my thing, so that's the best I can muster to say about this performance. And if singing two songs (even if you sing them each five times) is too much for his voice, how will he ever tour?

Kat "Black Horse & the Cherry Trees" by KT Tunstall (Adult ). I don't get it. This is just weird. The song is decent, I could listen to it. But why is she on the floor? She got into it though, and really sold it. This was good. She's done and it's still growing on me. Good.

Taylor "Something" by the Beatles (Pop Catalog). Is it really fair to sing a song from this chart as your contemporary pick? It's Taylor, so I'll give him a pass. He sings quite well - effortlessly moving from the quiet mellowness to the power spots. I enjoyed this.

I fear for Paris and Kat(harine) this week. I would kick Elliott or Chris off, but we'll see tomorrow night. See you tomorrow.

What are you thinking, FOX?

I really enjoy some of FOX's drama programming - specifically, Prison Break, House, and Bones. So imagine my delight tonight when Michael & Co. began making the break out of Fox River Penitentiary. Fantastic episode! However, I couldn't help but notice that during the montage highlighting each convict's motivation for escaping (in addition to the fact that he's in prison) they were playing the House theme music. It's a nifty little tune, and it did kind of fit the moment, but it was also a bit distracting. Rather than focusing on the poignancy of the backstories, I was pondering why FOX was doing this. Does it really cost that much to get some tv background music? Perhaps it does.