American Idols Live Tour 2009 hits St. Louis

I took my mom to go see American Idols Live 2009 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis and was not disappointed.

We got there a little late - traffic was bad and parking a nightmare. We missed Michael Sarver, which I didn't think was a big deal, but ended up feeling bad about when I found out my mom actually likes him.

When we found our seats in the upper deck, I was surprised to see that almost no one had bad seats. On top of that, they were super comfortable. Quite a departure from Bonnaroo 2009 ;) (Which I loved, don't get me wrong.)

Megan Joy was first. I'd always liked her voice and been disappointed week after week on the show by her performances, but was presently surprised to see I liked her live.

After Megan Joy was Scott MacIntyre, who turned out to be a veteran performer and quite funny as an added bonus. He made jokes about his blindness and "the high five heard 'round the world," and put everyone in good spirits. I liked his rendition of Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles."

Lil Rounds was next. I didn't really like her set. Then again, I'm no fan of "Queen B" either, so I wasn't happy when she sang "Single Ladies." I did like this one OK tho.

Anoop gave a beautiful rendition of "Always On My Mind" but I enjoyed Ne-Yo's "Mad" better. I could have seen Ne-Yo live with a press pass earlier this year but didn't make it to the show.

Matt Giraud came out with the song I enjoyed most by him, "Hard to Handle." He showed off his vocal range with "Georgia on My Mind," which was nice, but then he sang "You Found Me," which I still agree with the judges from this season doesn't fit his voice very well.

Allison Iraheta's "So What" was disappointing, although I agree it helped her seem young when her voice sounds so much more mature. "Barracuda" was cool, but I can't find decent YouTube video of that so here's the duet with her and Adam Lambert on "Slow Ride."

Danny Gokey was mostly mushy and disappointing, to my dismay. I loved Danny from the beginning and I think he's hot and feel bad that his wife died, but American Idol is not about preaching. Additionally, if he's going to sound this gushy on a CD he's just not for me. However, "PYT" was entertaining and "Maria Maria" was hot.

I knew Adam Lambert was going to be big, but what I didn't know was how sexual he would be on stage. I liked most of his set, aside from Muse's "Starlight." I was most excited to see "Mad World" live, which was great, but this Bowie Medley almost made me wish I were a gay man.

After Lambert, I was nervous for this year's Idol winner Kris Allen, but I shouldn't have been. Because I'm such a fan, here is his entire set (I thought this version of "Heartless" was amazing live in a big venue):

Lunch with Dad today

Dad came in today and ate lunch with me in the Reid Cafe. He said he really enjoyed the pork tenderloin, while I had a garden burger, which was really good by the way. I'll have to eat that more often.

We spent the rest of my break walking around campus, admiring the gardening and the sculptures. We even wandered into the library, which has always held interest for me because of the rumors that it is haunted.

We were both impressed by the library, which I had been in before, and it was really nice to have a visit from him :) We'll have to do that more often. 

Once I got back into the office, Korin (the graphic designer I share an office with) and I talked about hauntings and now I'm really in the mood for Halloween... maybe it will make for some cool campus discussions on our social sites or something... Just a thought.

New job, new routine, new lifestyle

As you can tell from the ticker on my blog, I did not reach my diet goal for the start of school. Instead, stress and other factors contributed to a 5-pound weight GAIN.

I'm disappointed but not ready to give up yet. Other things are changing in my life, so why not this? (Am I starting to sound hopeless or what?)

Since I last updated, I left The Telegraph for a new job at Lewis and Clark Community College as a media specialist/Web editor. Basically, I left behind stressful deadlines, low morale and sleeping in for a more lucrative career, friendly people, a stimulating atmosphere, a job that I think I'm really going to like and 3 more hours of daylight than I used to have. 

I figure stress was one of the factors in my eating and exercise patterns, and likely one of the causes of my weight problems - along with having to eat out of vending machines if I wanted to take a short break and eating fast food late at night - all of which has virtually disappeared. 

I'm going to put it to the real test, a bit of which I got to taste last week during my first full week at the new gig. Here's my plan, if I have enough will power to follow it:

1. Eat something healthy for breakfast every day. 

For the last week and a half I've gotten myself into the habit of getting up in the morning with time to shower and dry my hair, put on some makeup and eat something quick for breakfast - typically Special K cereal, a granola bar, two slices of whole wheat toast, a yogurt cup or a piece of fruit and a bottle of water. This I already consider a success, because it's easy, makes me feel good and gives my metabolism a jump start each day. 

2. Eat lunch at the same time everyday. 

I hear it's good to get into patterns, and while I may not be able to eat lunch at noon on the dot every day here, I can get much more into the habit of a schedule than I could at my old job.

3. Try to make healthy lunch choices. 

With all the fast food around here, this is going to be a tough one - thank God there are healthy choices downstairs in the Reid Cafe, at Subway across the street and sometimes at my parents' house. I do have to watch my dad, who still tries to feed me like I'm a starving child and who stocks up on junk like doughnuts, Hostess cupcakes and Pringles, but it's nice to be able to visit him. After awhile I might stock some frozen veggies in their freezer for lunch so I have more time to visit and unwind and less time to eat his junk.

4. Drink more water. 

I really have to cut down the soda intake, but this is going to be a process. If I can learn to make healthy choices elsewhere and don't go overboard with the soda, I think I can ween myself away slowly.

5. Work out. 

David told me the other day he wanted to be skinny again. My Metro Sports couples' membership breathed a sigh of relief. Five times a week is going to have to be mandatory for me this semester, and NO, volleyball won't count. I'm going to bring a bag to work with me so I can work out here before I leave campus, unless David calls and wants to meet at Metro. If I miss a day during the week for any reason, I should hit Metro on the weekend.

6. Record food/exercise journal on Livestrong.com. 

I was doing this for awhile but fell out of the habit. I need to get back in. This is a great way to tell what your patterns are and to watch overeating after excercise. 

7. Fix dinner rather than going out. 

With my new hours, working out AND cooking dinner are both feasible. The only problem is my portion control, because if I wait that long after working out and have to smell food while I'm cooking it, I'm going to want to eat more than I need. Admitting that is the first step to making sure it stops happening.

8. Get a good night's sleep. 

Knowing I am not a morning person has made me go to bed much earlier than I used to which I know is healthier for me.