I just may havta boycott

Yes, that's right, I'm ranting about AI again. What else is new? What can I say? That show has been one of my faves for the past 2 seasons. I wasn't home for the results show on Wed & I manage to download it yesterday. I'm gonna give the show one more week 'fore I decide whether to boycott or not. If Latoya or Fantasia are gone next week, that's it. No more. Not that the show really cares seeing that I'm not even American...

I've gotta say, you've gotta feel for the remaining contestants. They seemed pretty damn upset about the whole situation. Especially George & John. They looked horrible. I could be wrong, but it sure as hell feels like they knew that they shouldn't be safe whereas the 3 divas did. But america is stupid, what else can I say? STUPID

Once again... America's lost their minds

I had to go out for my last LOT PRC meeting (I feel like I'm working gov't again w/ all these acronyms!). Anyway, had a good dinner @ Monsoon on Main & E. Broadway. I recommend it. It's a lil pricey compared to the typical Cactus Club/Milestones though.

So, while I was out, good ole American Idol was on & it was the result show. It's usually not a huge ass surprise. Well, aside from that time when Amy got booted. I saw the show where the top 7 performed & it was pretty damn evident that George & John were by far the worst. The top 3 from beginning have been Jennifer, Latoya & Fantasia. Clearly, the fact that I'm name dropping has some significance!

RIGHT as I open the door & take my 1st step into the house, my mom says, "Guess who were the bottom 3." I had already heard on the radio earlier that day that the producers were not happy w/ the results. So, I fig'd that John did not get the boot as he should've. HOWEVER, was I ever shocked whewn I heard that the bottom 3 were also the best 3 & Jennifer ended up getting the boot.

AMERICA... WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG W/ YOU!?! How in hell did you vote in such a manner which resulted in the 3 divas--the 3 w/ the most powerful voices-- in the bottom 3? If this continues, I don't know whether I can keep on watching this show.

It's a sign of the times...

Well, after a disappointing 1st round boot, the Sens have fired their coach, Jacques Martin. I don't really follow the Sens @ all, so I didn't know that there had been speculation that Martin was going to be fired. It's sad, but I guess it's part of the sport. If your team doesn't do well, the owners can do one of 2 things, fire the GM or get the GM to fire the coach. It's just unfortunate because Martin had been coaching the team since it's inception (I think). @ least it was for 8 yrs. That's a long time for a coach!

W/ that said, we find out early next week as to what Burke's fate will be. Anyone who follows the Canucks knows that Burke is essentially on his way out. He sure as hell doesn't want to leave & I think the majority of fans don't want him to go either. I definitely don't. He's done a lot for this team. Before we came in, games would only attract 8000-9000 spectators. For the past 2 yrs, virtually every home game has been sold out. Burke nearly completely reformated the team. Only 5 players that were on the Canucks before Burke's arrival are still on the team.

It's pretty much a done deal. John McCaw & his right hand man, Stan McCammon, don't exactly get along w/ Burke. Personally, I don't think that should be a deciding factor whether Burke should stay. it's evident through the action plan that has been effective that Burke has been very successful. Granted, he's made some bad choices, or none (as in getting some gritty players to replace Bert's suspension), but overall, he's made a 180 w/ this team.

Plain & simply... it's not a good idea to let go of Burke.

The mad crazy rollercoaster I've been on... & not by choice

ed. note: You may wanna get comfy... who knows how long this post is gonna be!

The past week has been pretty busy for me. I had an informational interview @ Translink on Wed, then I worked on Thursday, then went to meet w/ my mentor on Friday. & to think, those 3 days were actually my slow days. Saturday, Sunday & Monday were by far the craziest & longest days that I've had in a while.

I was initially supposed to work 1-5 on Saturday w/ an on call shift from 9-1. However, I had made plans to have a b-day potluck @ my friends' house that night. So, I switched shifts w/ a co-worker & I was only supposed to work 9-1. My manager had scratched out the on call from 1-5. HOWEVER, the store got rather busy that day & I ended up staying @ work until past 4 pm. That left me w/ less than 3 hrs for me to make my food for the potluck, get changed, pack the car, drive to Burnaby & set up there before all my guests arrived. To make things short, I was NOT a happy girl @ work from 2-4. To make things worse, I didn't sleep all that well the night 'fore. I got a max of 5 hrs of sleep.

Anywho, I had warned people that the potluck may turn into a playoff party because the Canucks and the Flames would be playing game #6 of the Western Conference quarter finals. This was do or die for the Canucks. There was no way I was going to miss the game anyway. I missed the 1st goal, but from that pnt on, I heard every goal scored. If I was in the kitchen, I'd hear ppl cheering, yelling or awwing. When I finally sat down to watch the game, after being in the kitchen serving etc, the score was 4-0 for the Canucks. SWEET deal! We started making predictions. Some thought 5-0, I thought 4-1. Little did I know... just a couple of minutes later, the score was 4-1.... then 4-2. & before the game ended, the Flames had diminished our four goal lead. Why was I surprised that the Flames managed to come back to tie up the game? The Canucks do this ALL the frigging time. They just can't hold onto their leads. They frigging ALWAYS fall apart. GAWD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ppl had started to trickle out of the house by the time the game ended & the last 10 or so of us made ourselves comfy as we headed into OT. 4 of us were crowded around this one large seat & we were also the loudest. I'm VERY emotional when I watch playoff games. I yell, I scream, I freak... it's actually quite sad. The upside is that the other 3 w/ me are also that way. But I've gotta say, that 1st OT was pretty damn stressfull. There were a whole bunch of close calls for both the Canucks & Flames. I was NOT happy that the bounces were not going our way. Plus, there was the fact that Auld isn't exactly NHL Playoff calibre. The dude couldn't even take the AHL team to the frigging playoffs! How much faith was I expected to have?

If 1st OT was stressful, 2nd OT was even more stressful. Granted, I think it must've been more stressful for us four than for hte rest of the grp. In fact, I think we provided them w/ much entertainment. Christina thought it was so funny that she took a damn pic of us! :P Jess was covering her face, KT had her hands over her mouth etc. 2nd OT came & went & I've gotta say, I didn't wanna sit through another 20 min of OT. *&* luckily we didn't. My boy... Brendan Morrison, came through! & what a nice move it was. Take that Kiprusoff! Sucka!

However, w/ all of this said, we know how the series ended... a win for the Flames on Monday night. KT & I headed over to her friend's house that night to watch the game. Overall, I had a good time, although the boys were trailing the entire time. Honestly though, they were pissing the living shit outta me. What is up w/ all the dump in's? Could they not take the puck up? Even when they had room to do so, they wouldn't. I dont' care if you need a frigging line change. You havta create some damn momentum. Kinda hard to do if you're always dumping the puck! *&* it just hurt to see that we had all these chances & just couldn't capitalize on 'em.

Going into the last 10 min. of the 3rd period, we were down 2-1. I wasn't happy. I wanted the boys to score. 5 min left, I was starting to lose faith. 3 min. left... it's over! 1 min. left, *sigh* 5.7 secs. left... OMFG... JACKASS scores! The 7 of us watching the game jumped up screaming & giving each other high 5's, hugging. It was GREAT! I couldn't believe it! 5.7 seconds! It was almost like being in heaven. Ok, so a *slight* exageration. lol But that was amazing. We were gonna go into OT & we were going to win! WIN I tell ya!

Well, fortune was not on our side that night. A 1 1/2 min into OT, Martin Gelinas scored... & golf season started for our boys. :( The loss would not have been as disappointing if we had not scored w/ 5.7 secs left on the clock. It sorta just took us on this ultimate high & re-energized us & made us think that we had a chance of winning. The better team won... it's as simple as that.

This has gone long enough, here are my final thoughts:

Markus Naslund: Dude, you're hot. I love you to pieces, but DAMN you sure as hell cannot perform in playoffs, can you? Last yr, you were a disappointment. @ least this yr, you managed to pull 9 pts, which I doin't really understand. You were virtually invisible throughout the entire series, minus game 1. You couldn't pull your shit together & lead this team. Of course, there is speculation that you've been injured which is why your performance has been lacking of lustre. *sigh* Hopefully there won't be a walk out next season & you'll stay in Vancouver for @ least another 3 yrs.

Brendan Morrison: I LOVE YOU. Will you marry me? ;) Seriously though... he was simply amazing this entire series. He showed grit, he showed passion, he showed that he can lead this team through adversity. Plus... he's such a nice guy! It will be a sad day if he ever gets traded & I hope his performance in the playoffs will lead to a reduction of talk about trading him & how he is not a #1 centre. Poo on all of you who have said that in the past.

Matt Cooke: Ok... so you weren't that nice when I met you in Montreal last yr & you weren't overly nice when you came into my store. But damn.. the performance you put into the playoffs overshadows all of that. You were frigging amazing throughout the series & you have shown just how valuable you are to the team. Although you won't be on the 1st line anymore when Bert comes back, you are definitely a 2nd liner & you fully deserve a raise!

Jovo: Get rid of him. Or not... but damnit.. you sure as hell sucked shit throughout this entire series... especially in game 7. How many giveaways did you have? *&* how many of them were RIGHT in front of Auld? Give me a break! You are a D-man. You can't let that happen! & of course, you were the one who had to take a penalty @ the end of the 3rd game which then lead to the powerplay goal in OT. It's all your fault & I blame you! Ok, so I don't really, but dude.... you've gotta step up your game!

Sopel: I've never liked you & I don' tthink I ever will. I will admit, you had one really nice looking move in game 7 & you actually didn't score on our own net for once, so that's an upside. Other than that, I'd like to see your ass & hair traded.

D-men: Overall, as a grp, you guys stunk. Every single Flames goal that came in game 7 happened because the scorer was wide open. No one was on them. You can't let that happen... especially when it comes to Iginla. the dude is too good! Although I do havta give some props to Ohlund. Overall, he was by far the best d-man.

Johan Hedberg: I'm sorry that Crowe has it against you. One bad game shouldn't mean loss of complete loss of confidence. I truly wonder what the series result would have been if you were in goal. It's most likely we won't be seeing you next yr, I wish you all the luck wherever you end up.

Alex Auld: I can't be down on you too much... you're young. You're only 23 & you did fairly well considering. However, some of those goals that you let in were pretty soft. Especially the one when Iggy had a breakaway... that was b/n the legs dude... OUCH.

Burke: I don't care if hte media doesn't like you. I think you've done a fantabulous job as a GM & I hope to see you stick around for yrs to come.

Concert etiquette

I've come to realize that I am just too old to go to "teeny bopper" concerts (ie) BSB, *N Sync, Britney etc. Either that, or I've just lost all patience & have forgotten what it's like to be young.

On the 8th, I went to... *drumroll pls* the Independent Tour, starring Kelly Clarkson & *gasp* Clay Aiken. Yes, that's right, I went to see Clay Aiken. Come on now, how could I not? He's dorky, kinda gay looking & has a voice that you either love or loathe. I personally love his voice & his dorkiness & his kinda gay look... what's wrong w/ me?

Anywho, the trip down to Seattle was sort of a last min. plan. My friend didn't start looking for tickets until Sunday & the show was on the Thursday. & being that I'm quite used to having decent seats (such as row 10 for John Mayer in Feb), I wasn't willing to get tickets off Ticketmaster (which I may add, is a complete rip off). He managed to get decent tickets, not great, not on the floor, but decent.

Long story short, it was a great show. Clay has a fantabulous connection w/ the audience. He was talking to us, talking to ppl on their cells, being a goof etc. Kelly on the other hand... well, she has a great set of pipes. It was a great performance on her behalf also, it's just that it didn't seem that she related to the audience as well as Clay. I could be biased, but I've read it in other articles etc.

During the concert, Ryan & I decided that a book on concert etiquette must be created. There are a number of things that just get on my frigging nerves. Although I haven't completely fleshed the idea out yet, here are a few key elements of concert etiquette that all concert goers should adhere to:

1. NO SCREECHING. Seriously, not only does it hurt my ears, but I'm pretty damn sure it's hurting others. It's one thing to cheer & to whoop or sing along during the performance, it's another thing to screech @ the top of your FRIGGING lungs. 1st off, if you're screeching *that* loud, how are *you* going to enjoy the vocals of the artists? 2nd, you're going to lose your voice by the end of the show (but you rightfully deserve it, if you ask me). 3rd, if you're 25 rows back, the artists are not going to be able to fucking hear you!

2. Don't complain if the person in front of you is standing. You are at a concert. Guess what... ppl stand, dance & sing @ concerts. There is no such thing as a standing section for a show. That's utter bullshit. For example, I was @ a Savage Garden show a couple of yrs back... It was @ GM Place & it was just the Pontiac Theatre type thing where only 1/2 of the arena was being used. There were about 7 rows on teh floor & then the lower bowl seating. We had row 1 in the lower bowl. We stood up during the show & we were asked to sit down by an usherette. Yes.. according to her, we were not in the standing section of the show. WTF!?! Essentially, we were being mouthy & nearly got booted out of the show... keep that in mind. It's not a good idea to mouth off an usher @ a show @ GM Place.
W/ this said, it's probably not a good idea if you're standing @ an opera show... use this rule @ your own discretion

3. Do not stand on your chair. I understand what a bummer it is to be short & on the floor for a show. I know, I'm only 5'3. I feel your pain. But if you stand on your chair, guess what? It makes it even harder for me to see too. Be considerate... pls!

4. Do not put your children on your shoulders. Much like rule #3, above... I'm sorry your child can't see, but did you ever consider that it may be a better idea to get seats in the lower bowl, where the seats are slanted, therefore allowing them to be able to see everything? I don't know... that could be a *crazy* idea of mine </sarcasm>

5. Do not hold signs up for more than 5 seconds @ a time. & w/ that said, it also means that you are not allowed to hold them up every 10 seconds... I'm thinking more like a 5 min interval. Guess what, 1/2 the time yoiu're holding a sign, they can't see it because you're too far out. You are also blocking the view of @ least 10 ppl behind you if you hold your sign up for too long too.

ed. note: Do you notice a trend here? A lot of this has to do w/ a person's view of teh show...

I'm sure there will be more to add when more things come to me the next time I go to a show.

America has lost their minds!

That's right. The bottom 3 = Latoya, Jennifer & Amy? HOW IN THE HELL did that transpire? Those 3 certainly did not belong there. Amy & Latoya didn't have their strongest performances, but did they deserve to be in the bottom 3? I don't think so. Rather, it should have been John, JPL & Camille. If you've gotten this far & still have no idea what I'm talking about, you're *so* not cool. ;)

The problem w/ AI is this... the people who vote for teh show are pre-pubescent and teen girls. The problem w/ this is that once they've made up their mind as to who their fave is, that's the person they're gonna vote for. The actual performance has no role in how they decide to vote. It's unfortunate because Amy did not deserve to be booted. Based on performance alone, it should've been John Stevens & he knew it. If you watched the show tonight, you could see it in his eyes. He was shocked & in the end, it seemed that he was quite upset w/ the decision that "America" made. Granted, what the hell do I know? I'm just talking out of my ass.

Music downloaders 1, CRIA 0

Well, once again, Canada has strayed from what the US has been doing. Whereas the RIAA has been successful in finding music uploaders and having the ISPs provide their personal info, the Cdn courts have ruled otherwise. Woo hoo! Just today (technically yesterday), the courts handed down the ruling that ISPs are not required to hand over personal identifiable information to the Canadian Recording Industry Association . & I must say that the judge made a very interesting analogy... that P2P sharing is very much like a library. & of course, the article I link to does that have that analogy printed... However, this article does have it.

You must admit, the judge definitely has a valid pnt there. I'm not exactly a proponent of downloading, but hell, can't say that I don't do it. However, I'm not in the same category as those people who download full albums. The only full albums I've downloaded are usually soundtracks or those that are WAY too expensive for me to get. In fact, since this whole downloading/copyright issues started, I've bought more albums more than before. Artists have to give me a reason for wanting to buy their album. Put a free DVD disc in there... that gives me even more reason to wanna buy the disc. Een better, make sure I like all the songs on it.