Gahmy's Idol Thoughts - Top 13

Okay, so I just got done watching American Idol from last night and while the thoughts are still fresh in my mind, I figured I'd put my feedback on how the kids did out there and see what the rest of you thought. (By the way, I think next week I'm going to do this from my room when I'm actually watching the show so that I can give feedback as I'm watching it) The order in which the contestants are listed below are not the order in which they performed, just a heads up...

Kris - Let me say first off that I think he's freaking adorable! Behind his guitar, we were able to see a different side of him and I think he really shined bright. His "Man in the Mirror" performance and his performance from last night were two that I'll remember. I think we're going to see a lot more of Kris in the future!

Megan - I think Simon was off when he said that it was a stupid song choice. That is one of the songs that I grew up listening to and it's always nice to hear a new rendition of it, provided it's not horrible. I don't think it was her best performance by any means, but I think she did alright. She should, in my opinion, try and stay with the type of songs that she's already performed so that she can show off her unique talent. I think that, with stars like Duffy and Adele in the forefront today, Megan will have a chance if she can make it for a few more weeks. The kind of rough tone that she has is what is going to be the new "in" thing with music.

Anoop - When the judges were announcing the Wild Card picks, I was so upset that Anoop didn't make it in to the Top 12, but when Simon announced that it was going to be a Top 13, I couldn't have been any more excited. I think that, given the right song, Anoop can make it quite a ways in the competition. I have to agree with Paula, however, I think "Beat It" should be left to Michael Jackson. I would really hope that he doesn't leave the show, but given some of the other performers from last night, it might be a little tough for him.

Matt - I think Matt's version of the song that he performed last night was a good one. The song choice fitted the piano and his voice. I know that a lot of people say this, but he does kind of remind me of Timberlake. It would be kind of interesting to hear him sing one of his songs. I think that we'll see Matt on the show for at least another week.

Danny - Danny, Danny, Danny... What can I say about him other than his performance was AMAZING!!! I've loved Danny since his audition! He's probably in my Top 3 right now, and I definitely wouldn't mind seeing him win the show, but he has some tough competition in Adam and Lil. Danny, setting his voice aside, has a great stage presence that I think is going to take him a long way. We'll have to work on the dancing a bit though ;~).

Alexis - Alexis did a great job w/ Dirty Diana last night. I have to agree with Paula when she said that she needs to work on not over singing the song, but all things considered, she did a great job and I think we'll see her again.

Allison - Allison is one of the people that I've liked since the beginning of the competition, but she didn't shine bright enough for me last night. For me, her past performances are the ones that I'm going to remember and not the one from last night. It's going to be interesting to see how she adapts to the other genres that are inevitable on Idol.

Adam - Two words... SIMPLY AMAZING!!! The BEST performance of the night for me! I think that he's going to be around in the competition for a while, and may even win it! Being an actor has treated him well. He knows how to work the stage and he obviously knows how to put on a good show. I could probably go on and on about his performance last night! AMAZING!!!

Scott - Scott did a great job last night, but his Mandolin Rain performance still sticks with me and I think that's what I'm going to be comparing all of his other performances to from here on out. When you have a great moment such as the one he had last week, it's hard to beat it. Seeing Scott on the piano, you just know that's where he belongs. He looks so much more comfortable behind the piano and I think it gives him much more to go off of. Even if Scott doesn't make it in the competition, I think he'll have a record deal after the show is done.

Jasmine - For being 17, Jasmine has a voice that you don't hear every day. For Randy, after pointing out that he recorded that song with Mariah, to say that she did a good job of mixing different versions of that song to make it her own definitely says something about the potential she has.

Jorge - For some reason, I really can't stand Jorge. I don't know what it is about him, but he just doesn't do it for me. I'm all for the diversity on the show, but not with him. Personally, and as much as I'm going to hate myself for admitting this, I think that Tatiana is a better performer than he is. Having said that, I'm not sure I'd like to see her on the AI stage again, but regardless, I think she would have done a much better job than he did.

Lil - AMAZING!!! What a way to start the show! She is a power house and everyone else in the competition needs to watch out for her! She's going to make it a long way on this show! Between her, Danny and Adam, I believe you're looking at the final 3 on American Idol! What a great job!!!

Michael - Michael did what he does best last night. Singing songs like that are what made me like him in the first place. These contestants need to learn that, while taking risks can work out and other times you can make a fool of yourself doing it, you need to stick with what you know. Granted, Michael can't always pick slow songs, but he can pick songs that are from the heart and that will portray who he is as a person and as an artist. I think that if there's a country week, which I'm sure there will be, he'll really come through during that time. There are TONS of country songs that are from the heart and that I'm sure he'd do a great job at making his own.

Over all, I'm quite pleased with the show from last night. There are a lot of people that I can see making it through and there are the obvious people who, even if they don't win the show, will have record deals and we'll be hearing a lot from in the future. If I had to pick the two to leave tomorrow night, I would have to say they would be Jorge and Anoop. As much as I like Anoop, there were too many other performances that cast him back in to the shadows. And what is this twist that Ryan mentioned at the end of the show? Something that will change the face of the competition, but it has to do with the Judges? Personally, I can't wait to find out, and I'm not quite sure what I'm more excited for, the results or the twist!

Trying To Make Goals

As many, if not all of you know, I am the proud owner of a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo! It's pretty exciting, albeit dirty from the snow melting... ugh! Since I was able to get the Jeep and had to actually sit down and work out my finances, it got me thinking that working out bills is something that I'm going to have to do for the rest of my life. This is the first real responsibility that I have and I'm pretty excited to officially be in the grown up world.

Over the past week or so, I've also been thinking about what a waste of money apartments are, considering the fact that I want to be able to buy my own house within the next 5-ish years, so I've also decided that I'm going to start saving where I can for a down payment on a house; when my car is paid off, that's going to be my next endeavor. I'm sure the market will rebound again by the time I'm ready to buy a car and housing prices are going to be through the roof, but if I find a decent house with reasonable payments, I don't see why there should be anything holding me back, barring any unexpected things that may arise. I think that I'll be able to do it and, sure, it's going to be a challenge, but I think I'm up for it!

I suppose I'll come to learn that there are things that I can live without, no matter how much I think I can't live without them right now. There are just some things that a person has to sacrifice in life to get what they want. By the way, for those of you thinking "I wonder if he realizes that buying a car and a house are two totally different things", yes, I'm fully aware of that. I just wanted to spare us from having that conversation down the road ;~).

Eyes Kept Tearing Up...

What Next?!

With the economic news having been so grim as of late, many people have been forced to cut back on the amount of lavish spending they have become so accustomed to. Those having to do so, have been "forced" to spend more time with their family and find things that they can all do together. Among things such as going to the movies, a play or other things in the community, going to the zoo has always ranked among the top family outings.

With the current state of the economy, zoos may be the next thing added to the Endangered Species list. New York Governor David Paterson has proposed a budget that will undoubtedly cut the state funding for zoos across New York. According to an article from CNN.com, "New York's 76 zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens will lose $9.1 million in state funds next year". (CNN.com article, Budget Cuts...)

When I was reading this article, I had hoped that there would be some good news on the horizon, but I was sadly mistaken. The new $819 billion stimulus package that is currently making the rounds in Congress doesn't allow for any wiggle room for many of the staples of the American family. "Section 1109 of the stimulus bill ... forbids the use of federal taxpayer money to plug the budget gaps. Taxpayer watchdog groups lobbied to keep zoos, aquariums, swimming pools, golf courses and casinos out of the stimulus,arguing that there are higher priorities for Americans' money during a recession". (CNN.com article, Budget cuts...)

Luckily not all of the money for the zoo and aquarium budgets come from the state; there are still private backers that could come out and help the zoos and aquariums, but I can't see it happening. There is plenty of what people call "old money" in New York and other cities that will see their local zoos and aquariums affected by this. I think that the people with the type of money that could possibly make a difference have grown accustomed to having not been relied on by these organizations. With any luck, we won't see the fall of our local zoos, much like we've been forced to watch the fall of the banks and our financial future as we know it. This is something that we could actually work to prevent.

A Little Bit of Everything

As everyone knows, this year I vowed that I was going to start to exercise and diet because I need to get in shape. This year, as we all know, my Dad is getting married in June and I'm his best man. I told myself that I'm not going to look like I do now when it comes time for the pictures. Most people would have given up by now and completely fallen off the wagon; I, however, have only fallen off part way. While I've only had fast food (I don't count Subway as fast food) only one time since the first of the year, I haven't really had the exercise routine down that I should have. Out of the 4 weeks in January, I've worked out 2 of them. I need to get back on the wagon. After watching last night's Biggest Loser, Daniel (Orange Team) was voted out by his fellow teammates. On his exit interview he said that he had tried to lose weight before because others wanted him to and felt that it was important for him to do so. He's ready to finally do it for himself and it shows! From the starting weight on the show to what we saw him look like last night, he has it in his heart to do it and stick to it! That's what I feel like this year. I still have just over four months to actually make it happen.

I'm only going to be 21 this year and have a long life ahead of me. I want to able to live it to the fullest and experience all that life has to offer. Although it may be hard given the current level of discrimination in this country, I want to be able to have a family and watch kids grow up and have a family of their own. There are too many things in this world to see and I'm not ready to give up on that.

In other news, I'm working my way towards getting a Mac. I've priced one online and it's going to run me about $2400, which, all things considered, isn't that bad of a price. I've had many, many people tell me that getting another PC isn't worth it and they've fallen in love with their Macs. Of course, I'll be getting a laptop because I like to be able to stay connected wherever I decide to go. When I get my taxes back this year, I've decided that I'm going to be getting an HDTV for my room and I'll probably get a Bu-ray player to go with it. I also have to get my window fixed in my car, a tire checked out and a new brakes on the thing too! I hope after I get all that fixed that I'll be good to go for a while!

Any person who knows me knows that I talk a lot about going on vacations and that, because of work, money or some other excuse, I rarely end up going. This year, I'm going to try and change that as well. Even if I only get one vacation a year, it will be a vast improvement over what I'm taking now. I don't think that I need a two-week vacation or anything either, four or five days would be nice. Seattle is always a city that has intrigued me and just the other day I was checking out a little vacation there and it was running just under $1k! That's for round-trip airfare and a hotel downtown… it would be AMAZING!!! I also want to move just about everywhere that I've ever been in my life, so I'm sure that when I take a trip to Seattle, I'll want to move there too. To be honest, I've already looked at apartments in and around the city and they're really not unreasonably priced! There was one complex, as a matter of fact, that was just about 30 minutes away from the city, was going for $775/month and if I read it right, all utilities were paid, but I could be mistaken. I've looked in to quite a few places over the past few years that I've toyed around with going to, but in reality it's mostly just a dream that won't go away. I certainly can't see myself living here for the rest of my life, but I'm not quite sure where I'll end up. Then again, with the rest of my life ahead of me I could end up in several different cities yet. Only time will tell.

Over the past couple of weeks, I've really been paying attention to the different types of photographs that I've seen, both in person and on the Internet and they've given me good ideas for new shots. I'm trying to expand my horizons and go beyond the comfort zone of animals, although I fully enjoy that. When the weather starts to warm up, I'm hoping to be able to get out and go different places around town that I either haven't been before or to places that I haven't been to in a while and see what they have to offer. I think I'm going to start looking for new ideas to do black and whites in. B&W is very "in" right now and depending on the shot, I think it looks quite elegant.

For now, I'm going to continue the rest of my shift here at work and see where the world takes me after that, aside from the fitness center after I get off. I hope that you all have a fantastic night and an even better tomorrow!

A Good Omen?

With Barack Obama's first full day in office having come to a close, so has another day at the stock market. With the Dow closing at 270+ points up, here's hoping that's a good omen and things will go the way Obama and the rest of the country is hoping they will! 

Madame Secretary

The United States is even more ready than we were yesterday to make the necessary moves the country so desperately. We not only now have Barack Obama heading the country, we also have Hillary Clinton leading the foreign front as our Secretary of State.

Best of luck, Madame Secretary!