Don't count your chickens . . . .

Well, I'm just now recovering from the recent booting of Rocker Nurse Amanda from the American Idol top 10 finalists! I think that her performance was better than Kristy, but the popular vote knocked her off. Although I didn't think that she was going to ultimately win Idol, I really like Amanda for her hard edged singing! Unfortunately, she got a little too ahead of herself by saying that she would give her fans a treat when they buy tickets to see her! Sometimes the popular vote is all in the perception (in addition to the talent) and making that statement was like counting her chickens before they hatched! Honestly, I think she said it not to be cocky or over confident but because she really wants her audience to have a good time when she performs. Nothing wrong with that! Too bad, because it would have been really interesting to see her perform other types of genres like maybe a slow ballad or an R&B classic!

No surprise that David A. and David Cook made it through as I think they are the top male singers in the group. I think Jason Castro is a close third with Michael Johns in 4th.

Another shocker was seeing Carley in the bottom 3! Wake up America! This girl has some serious talent. I think Carley has to start selecting better songs though. My top two females are Carely and Brooke. I think Brooke has the talent and the likeability factor. I don't know that I have a third choice, but if I had to choose it would be Ramiele. Big talent in a small package!

Well, that's my recap! Keep on rocking AI!

Like Poetry in Motion . . .

I am finally done with labeling my photos and am currently resizing them so I can add them to Slow Photos. I'm also doing the finishing touches on my report. My goal is to get it all done before April.

Working on this project has really brought back a lot of wonderful memories for me. Each time I look at a photo or write a sentence describing my experience and what I learned, I am overwhelmed with emotions. What a softee!

So while I'm doing the rest of my resizing and picking my favorites so I can upload them to Slow Photos, I had to do one more slideshow. I tried out Picassa Web Albums this time.

One of my fondest memories was getting to see the many beautiful CANALS and BRIDGES scattered throughout the City.

I miss Venice! And I miss Italy!

They're safe . . . .

Whew! I was pretty confident that my favorite six on AI were going to fly through this week, but sometimes you just never know. Even if it was David A's weakest performance, I knew the popular vote would keep him in the top 11. And it did!

Although David H. wasn't my favorite (not because of his little stripper scandal but because he simply doesn't bring any originality to his performance), I honestly felt that Kristy was way worse on Tuesday with that horrible country rendition of "Eight Days a Week" Yuk!

I think Carley and Brooke did the best job on Tuesday with Rocker nurse Amanda following closely in third. You know, I just really like Amanda for her uniqueness and individuality. She really has a genuine Rock persona and energy during each of her performances. I love it!

For the guys, David Cook was the best (although I agree with Simon that his performance last week was better) with Chikezie following in second and Micahel Johns and Jason Castro a distant third!

Keep on rocking AI!

Humble, yet proud . . .

Guess what! This week I was selected again by Marta on Slow Travel for "Photo of the Week" for March 9, 2008!

It is a photo that I took when I visited a small town called Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic in November 2006. Cesky Krumlov is a beautiful and charming little town that was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992 due to its well-preserved medieval, renaissance and baroque architecture. I read so many wonderful Slow Travel trip reports, travel notes and discussions on Cesky Krumlov, that I immediately knew that I wanted to see it. I spent 3 wonderful days exploring Cesky Krumlov and had a blast!

After commenting on Marta's photo of the week thread, I did my usual review of Kim's featured Trip Report/Blog of the week selection. I was nearly floored when I saw that Kim selected my Trip Report. Okay, now I'm really feeling embarrassed!

There are so many outstanding "gifted" writers on the Slow Travel Board that I can't help but feel so unworthy! But then I thought to myself, what if my photo and/or report could inspire just "one" person to travel to these wonderful countries? Wow, that would be so cool! Honestly too, I can't help but feel a teeny tiny bit proud and honored to have been selected.

Thank you so much Marta and Kim for featuring one of my photos and my trip report for the week of March 8, 2008.

By the way, here's the photo that Marta selected:

It's a Community . . .

Today is the LA Marathon, LA Marathon Bike Tour and the 5K Run. I'm not running or riding in it this year, but I did volunteer to work it! What was I thinking! Maybe my way of contributing something back! And so I have been up since 2:30 am and will be heading out there soon! Yikes!


I think the running and cycling community (much like the travel community) are a tight group who is always supportive of one another and I think that's what draws me to it! I like that!

So to all you 5K and Marathon runners (who I know have been training all year for this event) and all you cyclists doing the Bike Tour today, have a great race and ride!

Feel the energy, get into the rhythm, push through the pain and enjoy all of the accolades for your awesome achievement! You earned it! See you at the finish line!

Beyond comparison . . .

This month's photo was taken on my 2006 solo trip to Prague in the Czech Republic. One of the most amazing things about Prague besides it's incredible history and it's wonderful people is the Architecture. Thousands of years of architectural history shaped what is now considered to be the most beautiful city in all of Europe. During my visit I was able to study the many Medieval, Baroque, and Renaissance buildings scattered throughout the cobblestone streets of Prague and it was an awesome experience!

This month's photo features these golden yellow buildings set below Prague Castle just on the edge of the famous Vltava river. From what I have read, buildings sprang up during the 16th century on Kampa Island or what is also known today as "Little Venice."

I sort of have to disagree with whoever made that comparison. I've been to both Prague and Venice and I find both cities to be unique (and beyond comparison) in their own special way.

If you love architecture, history and having a good time on your vacations, you will love visiting Prague! I definitely want to go back there just as I do Venice, because there is just so much to see. This photo is another example of the unique and interesting buildings that I discovered while exploring this fascinating City. It is located in the Jewish Quarter (Josefov) one block away from the Pinkas Synagogue. See what I mean when I say unique!