Tickets aplenty!

Just got a note in my e-mail that my "American Idol" tickets have been printed and will be shipped shortly. Couldn't be more pumped about that.

Furthermore, I was notified that my Bonnaroo ticket should arrive sometime today or tomorrow! 

It's all happening at once, so exciting ;)

I am totally in need of a vacation. After today and tomorrow, I've got one full week and then I'm on vacation. 2 weeks till 'Roo! Just trying to hold out that long...

Memorial Day + Justin + grill = I ate too much

Obligatory holiday post. 

David and I were gearing up for a pretty boring Memorial Day and boy was the weather crappy. I got up the same time I would have if I had gone to work and cleaned for HOURS. David actually did go to work. I went grocery shopping and to drop off some library books. I planned on browsing Twitter, watching too many episodes of "America's Next Top Model" and then falling asleep.

Then Justin called David, wondering if we wanted to grill, so we decided to take advantage of an overhang we have above our walkout basement. We got two games of bags in before we had to retire them for the day, and spent the rest of the night cooking, chatting -  generally taking it easy. 

When the food was done, I decided against my vegetarian-esque lifestyle and opted for a burger this time. What the hell? They were infused with onions and red peppers, it's not like I didn't get my veggies in ;) They were the best hamburgers (yes, plural) that I have ever tasted. He really should open a restaurant. He'd make the big bucks just off me.

We spent the rest of the night watching Larry King Live, which was more Ryan Seacrest and Idols live than anything, and then they made CDs that we'll listen to on the way to Bonnaroo. Getting pumped! By then, though, I was tuckered out and ready for a night's sleep.

Some links I'm browsing today

Clay Aiken says a Kris Allen victory takes 'Idol' back to its roots

http://elitestv.com/pub/2009/05/clay-aiken-on-kris-allen-and-adam-lambert

Addictomatic- Type in something you're addicted to and get ready for instant gratification ;)

http://addictomatic.com/

"Idol" backlash strikes

OK people. I thought I had posted my last Idol blog for awhile but it seems never ending. I just read a bunch of stories and blogs and commented on the Huffington Post Web site that called Kris Allen "mediocre." I can't help but repeat myself.

I will be the first to admit that I voted for Kris (about a 100 times). But unlike what every news article or opinion I've read today says - it wasn't because Adam's sexuality is questionable (come on people, that shouldn't matter in any situation, let alone a singing competition) or because I like to reward mediocrity.

I don't really think people should compare apples and oranges.

Adam is a GREAT performer. (Which I've been kind of scared to admit until today, knowing that if he won I would be totally bitter and I didn't want to jinx it - but there it is.) His performance with Queen last night blew me away. He's got vocal range that Kris doesn't have, and is super exciting as a performer.

Just because Kris isn't exactly those things doesn't mean he's mediocre. I think he actually has MORE artistic ability than Adam - his renditions overall were more creative than Adam's ("Heartless"? I mean come on. It was better than Kanye). He has a great voice too - it doesn't need as much range because in his genre he would have no need for the high falsetto. He plays a number of musical instruments and is certainly likeable.

As far as looks go, both performers are extremely good looking. In different ways. Apples and oranges.

It's like comparing John Lennon and Michael Jackson. Just because they're different, will you deny that they're both great? It's a matter of preference - and while Queen and Kiss were super popular decades ago, it's the Jason Mrazes and John Mayers of the world you hear on popular radio these days.

That's why Kris won, and he certainly deserved it.

Extending the dorky 'Idol' obsession through August

Yes. I bought tickets to American Idols Live. 

I paid approximately $62 each - 2 tickets - and David's coming with.

The show is Sat. Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. It's been too long since my last dorky concert.

Liveblogging tonight during 'Idol' finale Part I

For those of you that are interested, I will be Twittering during the "Idol" finale (part one and part two, tonight and tomorrow night, beginning at 6:50 p.m. both nights). 

You can of course read my Tweets on this blog, or you can take the higher road ;) and read them at http://twitter.com/lauranette

If you feel strongly either way about how this season will end, check out my work blog http://quarterlifecrisis.freedomblogging.com and agree with me, or leave me a nasty comment.

It's our anniversary!

David and I have been together now for two years. Unfortunately, I have a final presentation tonight and we can't celebrate properly. I just wanted the world to know how much I love him and how happy I am that we made it to this point ;)

Happy anniversary, baby.

Back from a long weekend in Chicago

Today I'm back to work after a long weekend in Chicago. A long weekend period, really. 

Saturday morning David and I joined Mark and Emily from the Lincoln Lofts, where we used to live, in playing a volleyball tournament out at Wave Taco in Downtown St. Louis. We lost six games before we won the last two, but it was really fun. However, my face is sunburned from lack of sunscreen, and I got a late start in getting to Chicago. 

I got out of the shower and headed out around 5:30, arriving in Chicago about five hours later. Brian had just got off from work. Good timing. Erin brought her man over and visited a little bit, and then they left and we headed to bed to get ready for an early day on Sunday. 

Around 10 a.m. Sunday we gathered with a bunch of Brian's family members in Chicago and boarded a bus for Milwaukee. It was Brian's birthday and Mother's Day all at once, so we celebrated with a 4-2 Cubs win at Miller Park, which was beautiful. I got lots of pictures and video of the Sausage Race. 

That evening, we ate at Lou Malnati's with Brian's family and his brother's fiancee Nora. It was pretty good. I wrote a blog about it. By the time we got back to his house and whipped out Guitar Hero: World Tour (a birthday present from his sister Katie), I had pretty much conked out on the couch. I went to bed, and Brian finally fell asleep hours later. 

Monday morning we headed out to Hyde Park and decided to hit the Harry Potter exhibition at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry before Erin met us up again. It was amazing. I also wrote a blog about that. 

When we met her in Wrigleyville that afternoon, I recognized Lucky's Sandwich Co. from the Travel Channel's "Man vs. Food," so of course we had to eat there. I really liked it. 

I left the city around 4:45 and got home around 10 (traffic jam as I was leaving the city). Look for individual posts on all of this on Twitter or at http://quarterlifecrisis.freedomblogging.com.