The Sing-Off

I finally got hooked on a a reality competition tv show. I didn't catch every episode of "The Sing-Off" but what I saw was very entertaining. I liked that it was only one week long. This may change after the pilot season.

I was surprised to discover that enough a ccapella groups exist to make a show. I was also surprised that the terrible host obviously reading the teleprompters was Nick Lachey!

Tonight's show caught my attention because Boyz II Men was performing a mash-up of their hit songs when I tuned in. Shawn Stockman is one of the judges, as is Nicole Sherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls, and (my favorite judge of the show) Ben Folds. I have to insert this interview quote from Ben Folds:

Did you ever expect to be working on a project with a Pussycat Doll?

I didn’t know what a Pussycat Doll was. I just met Nicole. We get along great. We don’t see the bands until they come up on stage, so there’s a lot of waiting time. She’s singing the whole time and she sings her ass off. Had I previously seen the Pussycat Dolls, she and her girlfriends on YouTube gyrating on top of cars, I’m not sure what I would have thought.

(Courtesy of the WSJ: http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2009/12/16/the-sing-off-judge-ben-folds-explains-what-hes-doing-on-the-show/)

The two finalists, the Beelzebubs and Nota, were both great groups. I laughed out loud when one of the Beelzebubs members asked the backstage sound guy if he saw Nick Lachey because "he looked so hot!" Beelzebubs were incredibly energetic and must have a mastermind choreographer in their group. Each performance was refreshing and sharp. Nota offered the smooth singing, culturally influenced style of music. They were both very different.

Here's a sample of their performances.

Swell Season at Uptown

It was another evening escape from the daily grind of must work-must eat-must sleep at Uptown Theater in Kansas City. The charming theater with its bright, retro headline sign and ornate interior surprised me a second time with its selection of musical talent. An Australian Pink Floyd tribute band brought me to the theater the first time. An Irish band turned movie stars turned more popular Irish band, Swell Season, brought me to the theater this second time.

I didn't pay to see the theater, however; I paid to see Swell Season and consequently, the stars of the movie Once. It was worth it.

Glen Hansard, the lead singer, was impressive. Not only did he sing, he performed with the worn guitar featured in Once and simultaneously played the harmonica. The multi-talents were extended to the other band members. The entire band did a dance of musical chairs throughout the evening as they took on different instrumental roles.

Halfway through the show, I realized I was watching a live performance of the sequel to Once. It felt as if the ragged movie characters had made it big and were performing all over the world. To further toy with my imagination, the lead singer and star of Once was planning to return to Ireland to get married after the tour here in Kansas City. Very fitting.

Overall, the live show puts their cd to shame. The vocal and instrumental sound quality was incredible, as well as the thoughtful and entertaining anecdotal interjections. The song variety from the concert also outranks the limits of the cd capacity. I would love a live version of this night's musical performance.

9 Days Left in Albuquerque

There is so much left on the agenda in the final nine days in the desert.

Office Food

Once food enters the doors of the office, its appeal multiplies tenfold. It has now crossed from a world of vast food choices to a closed environment of vending machines. Something about the 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. tummy rumbles that make the day old donuts look so tasty. 10 seconds in the microwave softens up any pastry, right?

Office hunger stimulates an odd behavior too. No doubt, the food stash in an easily accessible drawer will be raided... slowly. So slowly that the missing goldfish crackers won't even be noticed for a few weeks or months. Not that anyone cares. Office mates typically gladly share anyway.

It's just so interesting that the enclosed work environment drives people scrounging for food in the office area, even if the food is stale and questionable.

Life in D.C.

I spent one week in D.C. and took maybe 15 pictures. I mostly bypassed the tourist hot spots and experienced the daily life in D.C., which was fantastic, aside from the nearly unbearable humidity.

I ate out a lot. A few signature places included Five Guys (burgers), Thomas Sweet Ice Cream in Georgetown, Etete (Ethiopian restaurant near Howard University), Rita's Ice Cream, and Au Bon Pain (bakery).

The metro was great. A trio of guys sang between the metro and my hotel in the afternoon rush hour that truly lifted the underground mood. I looked forward to their upbeat and talented voices on my way to my home base, but I didn't find them during my final days in D.C.

The best part of D.C. is its energy. Even if people are fighting for their one-sided issue, at least they are passionate about it. The atmosphere naturally encourages people to care about policy, economics, and all things secular. I can't help, but compare the Midwest mentality to the ones on the East Coast. Perhaps, Midwesterners feel so far removed physically from politics that they become complacent. It seems to take more effort to educate oneself in current events in the Midwest than it does on the East Coast.

I also had a personal realization during this trip. I am growing to like Modern and Contemporary Art. The Nelson-Atkins Museum and Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City has planted this seed. After years of looking at the same works, I was excited to see different exhibits at the National Gallery of Art. I feel like it still wasn't enough. I'd like to find more.

You Twit Face

"In the year 3000 YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook will merge into one super-time-wasting website called 'You Twit Face'."

-Conan O'Brien

I love using Facebook, but Conan makes a hilarious and truthful statement. These social networks have heavily impacted the communication lines. I could go on about the advantages of these networks as much as I could discuss reasons for text messaging over calling. My point today is not to mull over the debate between technologies, but to rather point out a couple of human observations.

1. People are screaming for attention.

2. People demand privacy from others, yet keep none for themselves.

Why would anyone take the time to publish a 140 word description of the menial, daily activities on a regular basis? It's a desire to be noticed by someone and anyone. It's a time-filler when a person believes their time is more valuable spent impressing others, instead of facing a brief, solitary moment to themselves.

Updates that make me cringe the most are the bragging updates.

Example 1: "Enjoying the beautiful flowers my wonderful husband surprised me with today. I love you!!!"

My Response: Why in the world would you thank your husband online? He's sitting right next to you.

Example 2: "Another 'A' on my accounting exam. It's a straight-A record."

My Response: Yay. Now what?

On the flip side, I admit I'm pulling out funny ones as I'm looking some up to write this entry.

Example 1: "Writing this thesis is like passing a kidney stone."

Example 2: "Whoever hit my car will die."

Anyway, the truth is no one needs to know everything about someone else. In fact, it is advantageous to not reveal everything about one's self. Have people forgotten the attractiveness of mystery? How about the value of effort (as in getting to know someone over time)?

Keeping in touch is important, but people don't create memories through reading someone's wall or updates of their best friend online. Nothing would be left to talk about if the two people met up, except about what they read on each other's wall.

I wonder if people are losing the sense of privacy and self-confidence. In a way, these social networks promote people's need for validation from others. It's not the social networks' intent, but people have turned it into that. For example, I see a lot of, "Feeling down, need some cheering up." People are reaching out to the masses, instead of someone personally closer to them, such as a sibling, parent, or best friend that could offer more fulfilling encouragement.

I will be logging off next week to remind myself of life before my addiction to e-mail, Facebook, and all things google.

"Buying Stocks Is Like Dating"

I just finished reading Rich Dad Poor Dad's Who Took My Money book. Despite Robert Kiyosaki's consistent plugs for his other books and rhetoric against mutual funds, this book offers a nice balance to the stocks steroid-injected nature of Money Magazine and its kind. The book offers a general pep talk to the masses to financially educate themselves.

I particularly liked one paragraph from the book. I have made a comment before relating the commonalities in purchasing a house and being in a relationship. Kiyosaki, or rather his Rich Dad, has done a much better job in this comparison.

Rich dad used to say, “Buying stocks is like dating. You go to a dinner and a movie, and if you do not get along, you shake hands at the door and you don’t go out again. Buying real estate is like getting married. Before getting married, first there is generally a lot of dating… personally looking at as many properties as possible. Then after you find the property of your dreams there is a big wedding ceremony at the bank, and then you settle down and see what happens. If you and your property do not get along, and the marriage becomes a nightmare, getting divorced can be a tedious and stressful transaction.” When it comes to a business, rich dad said, “Building or owning a business is by far the most rewarding but also the most stressful of all the three assets. If investing in paper assets is like dating, and acquiring real estate is like getting married, then investing in a business is like being married with kids.”

On Happiness

A financial magazine featured an article on ways to ensure a happy retirement. One method was to surround yourself with happy people. Here's what they had to say:

"A 2008 study published in the British Medical Journal found that interacting with happy people increases your own chances of happiness. And the difference is quantifiable: Knowing someone who is happy makes you 15.3% more likely to be happy yourself, according to the study. In effect, happiness is contagious...

The study also found that coworkers have no measurable effect on individual happiness...

People who are in close geographic proximity spread their good cheer most effectively, so consider developing and nurturing relationships in your own neighborhood."

Memorial Day Weekend

When did Memorial Day weekend become a time to dust off the grill, buy beer, and invite friends and neighbors over? I always thought it was a strange concept to have so much fun on a weekend designed to commemorate those who have died in military service. It's a subject people don't like talking about.

The only major exposure relating to Memorial Day I've seen this year has been through the media. Even though the news is full of war updates and troubling events, the news sectors are one of the few that still recognize the holiday for what it stands for because of its ties to such events. The D.C. area also does a phenomenal job of recognizing Memorial Day. I spent last year's Memorial Day in D.C.

The bikers drove from all over the country to meet in D.C. They received a lot of cheers from the tourists and crowds.

The Vietnam War Memorial was simple and elegant. At the beginning of the walk, the Memorial lists the names of people who died during the first year. The wall continues to list names of the dead for the following years. The wall was constructed to show the growing magnitude of casualties throughout the war with its widening and lengthy list as the years passed.

Another observation about these weekends is that I always remember it raining at some point. I shrugged it off as coincidence in the Midwest, but sunny Albuquerque even had rain Saturday morning.

I don't know what I expect people to do, and I'm certainly not boycotting cookouts this weekend but I still can't shake off the thought of the strangeness in telling someone to have a super fun Memorial Day weekend.

Tiempo Perfecto

The Spring weather in Albuquerque is phenomenal. The sunny skies would put a smile on anyone's face. Capturing bad weather in a photo seems to express its danger or dreadfulness easily, as seen in photos of thunderstorms, tornadoes, or hurricanes. Great weather is not so apparent in photos, as seen in my attempt above.

Believe it or not, the sun was shining brightly this day. The heat of the sun was complemented by the dry breeze that occasionally and politely passed through everything in its path. The desert brown was overshadowed by the contrasting bright greens of the trees and the blues of the sky. The mountainous backdrop topped off the scene.

I got a call from someone in the Midwest and received a report of the rain in the region. I was so lost in the perfect weather, I had forgotten that bad weather even existed. It was difficult to imagine a stormy day at the time.

I also decided that Albuquerque in the Springtime is the best time to eat M&Ms. A bowl of M&Ms left in the house with no air conditioning, just fans and windows, will give just the right crunchiness to the shell. Just wonderful.

The Big Texan

It takes vision for someone to open a restaurant like The Big Texan. Famous for its 72 oz steak challenge, The Big Texan makes up for its mediocre food with a highly entertaining atmosphere. It sits right along Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas making it an easy stop for large groups and families. The outside of the building is a great place for pictures with its bright colors and gaudy props.

My group opted to call in for the free limo service the restaurant offers. Don, the driver, was loaded with funny stories about international travelers and his ex-wife. The car horn even moo-ed!

This is the infamous table that sets the stage for the chuck of meat and any other up-chuck. It is set with the one hour clock ready for the group of four who were going to attempt it later that evening.

This display showcases the steak and its fixin's that must be devoured before declaring victory and receiving the meal for free. It includes the 72 oz. steak, baked potato, salad, 3 cocktail shrimps, and dinner roll.
The most creative method I heard in eating the steak was to line the salad in the middle of the steak, then fold and eat the steak like a taco. This piece of cow was the size of my head. I even put my head right next to it for confirmation.

This last photo shows the closest I got to attempting the challenge. I ended up ordering a 6 oz. steak, and I was plenty full.

Cacti

The prickly pear cactus is my current favorite cacti in New Mexico. I struck gold in Carlsbad when I stumbled upon this wild garden of prickly pears on the drive to the Caverns. It was an incredible sight. Despite its name and its spikey hairs, these cacti seem friendly. The shape reminds me of oven mitts I want to shake hands with or pancakes I could take a bite from (both bad ideas). Look at how social they are too. They congregate together ensuring no one gets through them. It's like they know its own expensive listed store price and proudly shines with the Southwestern sun.

Slumdog Millionaire

Excellent movie. It helped that I was craving something different, fresh, and cultural. I am amazed when people fuse and modify the traditional with the modern styles and do it well. This was seen in the style of the movie and the music accompanying it.

This movie appeals to American audiences. After being inundated with steroid-injected, action-packed movies, Americans were ready for something real and human. Slumdog Millionaire offered entertainment while offering a current, global perspective. I don't know how accurate the depiction of Mumbai is in the movie, but it still puts the audience face-to-face with domestic and economic battles so easily overlooked in daily life in the U.S. Considering the economic downturn the world is facing, I can't help but feel guilty for continuing life as usual with my main concern being how I'll entertain myself tomorrow or this weekend. It seems so selfish. In a far-fetched way, this movie made me feel better. It was entertainment, but it pointed out real problems. It made me think about the big problems again and how widespread they are.

Life is all about the moments, and this movie captures moments so well. Whether good or bad, moments are so dramatic that they become memorable and inescapable. Along the same theme of moments is the movie's focus. The characters had clear goals and motivations strung with complex obstacles. That made me wonder if my extensive list of goals actually prevents me from accomplishing any of them. With that said, I admired Jamal's determination to get what he wanted one step at a time. Jamal, the protagonist, was an easy character to empathize with and truly stole the show.

Skiing

People always talk about the uphill battle. I discovered the downhill battle last month called skiing. Unlike most people in the world, skiing is just okay for me. I'd rather be enjoying other activities. The risk versus fun factors don't work in my favor. The important thing is that I tried it and not only once, but three times now.

For those who have never skied, let me break down what is needed.

Clothing
Warm pants (i.e. sweat pants, thermal underwear)
Thick socks (i.e. wool socks, apparently wool handles moisture better than cotton but not a big deal)
Snow bibs
Warm top (i.e. hoodie)
Ski coat (These things have SO many pockets. It is wonderful.)
Hat or helmet
Ski goggles or sunglasses
Sunscreen (for the face)

Equipment
Skis (Short skis are also available. They allow easier control for beginners. On the opposite end of the spectrum, experts may also use short skis to perform tricks. I rarely have seen short skis)
Ski boots
Ski poles

Tips That Make Life Easier
-Carry your skis over your shoulder.
-When walking downstairs with ski boots, walk backwards. Ski boots are difficult to walk in!
-Use the lockers. It's $0.75 each time it's accessed, but it's worth not walking from the car to the lodge in ski boots. Packing lunch and storing in the locker is also a bonus. The food at the lodge is typical, expensive, cafeteria food.

Ranking System
Bunny Hill: For learners
Greens: Low difficulty
Blues: Medium difficulty
Blacks: High difficulty
Double Blacks: High high (like Phelps at a party) difficulty. This might involve hiking to get to the start of a double black.

The Slopes
I've been to four ski slopes and skied on three in New Mexico. Each place has its own strengths.

Pajarito in Los Alamos
I took full day lessons here. The instructors were excellent and encouraging. The slopes are steep. The bunny hill would easily be ranked as a green in most other places.

Santa Fe
The slopes are more manageable than Pajarito. The bunny slope is incredibly tame. Snowboarders would have difficulty learning on the bunny, since it is fairly flat. I've been told that boarders need some slope to keep their momentum. The indoor lodge has more space than Pajarito, but at about the same quality. Out of state visitors enjoy Santa Fe, probably because of what the town offers outside of skiing.

Angel Fire
This is a great ski resort. The slopes are very manageable, and I was comfortable going down all of its greens. The view here is pleasantly striking. The greatest strength Angel Fire has over the other ski valleys is that they label all their slopes with clear signs, so people like me don't mistakenly go down a blue when the intent was to ski a green slope. Snow tubing is an option for people in the afternoons. The three lane runways are great for racing with friends, and a conveyor belt takes all the tubers right back to the starting line.

Taos
I can't speak much to the actual skiing, since I bailed on this adventure. I have heard that Taos has steep and narrow slopes with deep drop-offs. A more advanced skier would have a greater appreciation for the Taos Mountain. I spent some time at St. Bernards having coffee and tapping onto the hotel/restaurant's wireless internet. It was a warm place with a free-roaming dog, typical of the Taos culture. I highly recommend St. Bernards for the ones that decide to skip on skiing with their buddies and just enjoy the resort. Another option is snowmobiling with Big Al. It is a 2-hour tour of the Taos mountain on snowmobiles. I haven't decided if it was worth $70, but I do know I enjoyed it.


Finally, for the non-believers, here's evidence of me skiing.

Taos

I haven't done justice to New Mexico. The natural backdrop here is beautiful. It is easy to forget to look and appreciate the mystic-looking mountains. That's when I know I'm getting comfortable here. It sometimes takes a rainbow spanning the mountain peaks to remind me. There were three rainbows in one week too.

There is more than mountains. The towns here look and feel local. Taos is a great example. My friends and I rented a house for the weekend in Taos a few weeks ago. Here are some pictures of and around the house.







Besides being a skiing town, Taos has a magnificent view of the Rio Grande Gorge. A fairly simple bridge runs across the gorge. The best part is seeing the initial drop off. The image hit me so suddenly when driving up to it that the moment deservedly got a long "Wwwow."



For the ones that love being green, Earthship demonstrates a model home that is constructed from recycled materials and is self-sufficient. This detour was certainly interesting. It offered solutions for people that have wondered how to build such a home. The challenge is wondering if one could substitute modern conveniences for such a simple life. Earthship homes have been built internationally, and several neighborhoods exist within New Mexico.




I haven't even tapped into the art scene in Taos. Metal sculpture, painting, pottery, jewelry, and even a Taos drum factory outlet store can be found in pockets of the town. Small bed & breakfasts inns give the Best Western and Days Inn tough competition. At first glance, I thought Taos was a sleepy town revolved around skiing. After two trips to Taos, its hidden charms are growing on me.

Whine-fest and Thought Vomit

One day I'll read this and cringe. I'm going to be super negative tonight. I'm just fed up with some stuff, and I'm going head first with no constraint.

I'll start off by why I haven't written in awhile. I've felt that I had other obligations that I had to do first, and this blog is secondary. The obligations weren't necessarily important, but I was trying to prioritize my laundry list. My prioritization system failed me. Sometimes I should just do what I want to do and throw my reasons out the window.

Another point of irritation for me is the lack of respect for privacy. So what if someone wants to stay home and not go out. Leave them be. The person everyone is judging is probably at home building a multi-billion business plan anyway.

Now, I'll get into the idiosyncrasies of Albuquerque. My disclaimer is that I've discovered many wonderful things about New Mexico in the past few weeks that I've restrained myself from writing due to personal issues mentioned above.

I've just been caught at a bad time, so here goes. This city is so dark. Even the best neighborhoods are poorly lit. One light goes out on my front porch, and I can't even find the keyhole to my door. On top of the poorly lit city, the street signs are extremely difficult to read at night. I'm talking about major intersection street signs that are attached to the red, green, and yellow lights. I know the economy is bad, but let's invest in some new reflective street signs, Albuquerque. Please! Now, the cops. The cops have been very special to me this year. The cops seem to always find my parked car and pick a fight. So, Ms. Sena (you know who you are) has given me two tickets already. Go easy on me, will you? I'm pretty much a tourist in your state. You want to make a good impression. It's not just her, the police is crawling all over the place here. I'm not sure if I should feel protected or worried.

I realize this is all self-induced, but I haven't reached the maturity level to react to these situations gracefully. I keep finding myself wanting things differently from the social norm, yet I always fall into this status quo way of life and it's a whirlwind. I'm frustrated that I haven't built a strong enough backbone to resist this and march to my own tune. I thought I had it too. I've lost my beat somewhere along the way.