Geek In The Pink...Or AI 6 The Dudes Show Up!

I could stop with just the title and be satisfied, but I like pictures and words, so here you go.

Last night the guys...well almost all of them...came to sing. Phil Stacy started off with a John Waite song that had the wife ready to go immediately to iTunes. I wasn't so excited. I really wanted to see my favorites and watch Sanjaya, which my friend Chris V. says is Indian for, "Way out of his league," who look liked Michael Jackson. There was only one REALLY bad performance last night. Picking the second dude to go home is a tough on, so I chose someone who I think was a bit corny last night.

Top four just about the same from last week, with the addition of Sundance Head. He closed the show out with a rather good performance of Mustang Sally. I have three favorites outright. I'm cool right now, because they are not going anywhere...but when they mix with the ladies...we may have some trouble. I'm going to go out on a limb and say they will make Top 6. I will call them BCC for Blake, Chris & Chris. All three of them had killer performances, however, Chris Sligh was the weakest of the three, but his wife was there...Seems the two of us have more than a name in common. We both ended up with wives way out of our leagues.

So here are my Top 4 from last night. Mind you I really like Jamiroquai...and I want to to iTunes to get "Geek In The Pink," which reminds of a story my friend Julie told me in San Antonio...





My Pick for the two going home...and I'm sure I will be wrong because, Vote For The Worst will probably keep Sanjaya in...


...what the hell is this ^^^^^?

Until tomorrow when the ladies take the stage.

April Is Autism Awareness Month

Living with someone who has autism will change your life! It will change you! Sadly, some are not equipped to handle the emotional and physical challenges. Not the case for my family. Each of us has risen to the occasion. I'm amazed every day how far Ollie has come...and how far as a family we've come...and just when you think things couldn't get any better...they do!

A massive international effort led by Canadian scientists has homed in on the genes behind autism - a breakthrough that could revolutionize how the mysterious and surprisingly common condition is both detected and treated. Touting it as the most significant advance in the field in 30 years, researchers say the landmark project has put within reach a DNA test to identify children with autism early enough to counter the condition's worst effects.
read the rest of the story

What does this mean? Not too much for Ollie, but it opens the doors for my other two kids. I'll explain in a bit. The wife and I have long thought that DNA played a role in Ollie's condition. I have ADD, which is also a spectrum disorder with similar cross-over signs and symptoms. One that really stands out is the communication element. Ollie has a difficult time communicating with others. While most you know I'm never short of words, I too have a difficult time communicating with people. However, I'm on the other end of the spectrum. Ollie struggles to come up with words. I struggle with saying the right words. I have what I loving call an "un-empathetic mouth!" Even if I know what I'm about to say may make things worse, I will say it anyway...because it is the right thing to say. I will talk to people and then look with amazement when they have a baffled look on their face as if I was speaking in tongues. Both of us have a tough time reading people and saying appropriate things. I can't remember how many times I've blasted out important information to my wife like we were in a locker room, instead of having an important talk about something serious. How many more times will I stick my foot in my mouth? How long before I learn its not ok to tell a lady who is obviously ill, that she looks "BAD!"

OK! Back to why this new research is a good thing for my other two kids...Well now that they have located the DNA that triggers autism, they can get tested to see if they have the variant. Valuable information to have when it comes time to having babies...AND THAT TIME IS A LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG way away for my little girl. Knowing that you have the variant that will predispose your child to autism will prepare you for what comes next, and enable early intervention services to take place. Early intervention services have played a huge role in Ollie's success.


WHAT YOU SHOULD TAKE AWAY FROM THIS:
1. Ollie isn't disabled...he is enabled
2. Autism is a spectrum disorder...chances are there is a child in your kids class who has it.
3. April is Autism Awareness month...if you suspect your child, or a Friends child is showing signs and symptoms of developmental delay YOU HAVE A RIGHT AS A HUMAN AND FRIEND TO SUGGEST THE NEED FOR EARLY INTERVENTION SCREENING AND SERVICES!

Say Goodbye to 867-5309

One-hit wonder Tommy Tutone had everyone yelling, "Now that I got her number...I'm going to make her mine!" The song peaked at #4 on the Billboard Charts in 1982. The song spun plenty of men and women into a frenzy. Wanting to have that number, giving that number as their own to some would-be partner, and my favorite...on the bathroom wall...

Well those days are over...Say hello to 2007. For people with ADD, there are plenty of options to keep you communicating and still have time to...oh look, something shiny!

My friend Jason posted this: "WOW... I think I may need to slow down as well...What have we come to... No more phone calls, just MYSPACE,e-mail and BLOGs..."

From Jacksnupple: "p.s. I love how your mom left a permanent comment to tell you to fix something before someone sees it.I wish my mom knew what a blog is."

And from my cousin Greta: "I don't know what a blog is! All I can do on the Internet is: check e-mail, pay my bills, and buy airline tickets."

That used to be me too! But, the world around us is changing...and changing fast! I really felt stuck in the middle of all of it. Hell, my dad changes operating systems, upgrades, and tweaks performance output values on his computer as often as I wash my clothes. My oldest son is an Administrator on several Tech Forums. Even my youngest son can change wallpapers and is a whizz on the computer. Like my cousin, I mostly checked e-mail, and surfed the web for useless info, like cocktail recipes, men's issues, and happy news! Not anymore.

(Now for my Carrie Bradshaw-debut)
So I started to think...are the people uptown having more sex...err! Sorry...ADD again!
Really, how are people communicating these days? Do girls still have "sucker boards" in their apartments? This is a cork board with the telephone numbers of all the guys who hit on them and bought them drinks all night...and got nothing in return, but a place on the board! Do people really call anymore?


evn wen we do cll n 2k7, chncs r, u won't evn heA my voiC. Nstead somit wl Itha buz n yr pocket, or play yr fav song... myn S Wind It ^! thN sme kinda freaky lukin combo of wrds n #s appear on dis tiny 2x2 screen. BRB, LOL, B4N, FYEO, WDYT, GTG, TAFN, TTYL...ME!

Everybody is doing it...My mom has a blog! There's no content, no cool widgets, put...15 people have visited it. I know because that's how we assign value in today's communication. Traffic on your site...number of hits...number of visitors...number of other sites your blog is linked. It's all about the social networks these days.


Really, does anyone use a phone anymore? OK! Maybe in cases of emergency, or by obligation
because of guilt...(not to be taken serious by anyone who shares my family lineage...just a humorous line...you see...I'm trying to be funny...not that funny anymore since I had to explain it!) Otherwise, Check out my new widget. ...AFNBroadcaster has posted a new blog. ...You got Mail. Most importantly...learn about your future. How will you vote? Republican or Democratic? Who is running? (I'm working on a blog about our future...this is a little teaser...doesn't really pertain to this post....oh look shiny)

So, where do you stand? Can you hyper-link? Do you dial-up? Or do you SKYPE? This is FREE. I can call my friend Big E for free...using my computer. That is pretty cool. ME! Well, I'm somewhere in between...put climbing fast. Just this week, I've learned about widgets, embedded code, and hyperlinks. I also watched five hours of American Idol....SHINY!
OK QUIZ TIME....
1) What is this?

2) What is this?

ANSWERS:
1) A trendy through-back stylized coaster for your drinks. They are really cool...keeps rings off your table.
2) A pre-historic dinosaur bone called handhelda oratator. Discovered in 2007 in Lickskillet Alabama.

3 Out Of 4...Not Too Bad!

This one was pretty easy. I think the next round will be just as easy...then it will get tough!
I picked these folks to get the boot:




But Antonella was saved by_______________(fill in your reason here.) Read Rudy's favorite male singers...he lists "Maroon 5" as a favorite Male Pop Singer....even I know a color to the fifth degree isn't a man...

Nicole got the boot last night...she would have been next any! More to come. Plus...the Top 24 wallpaper. American Idol hasn't made it available yet. Here is one from a few seasons ago:

...And Then Came The Girls... AI6

WOW! The show started off with someone who really wanted to win this competition, rather than not get kicked off. In general, the girls have more talent than the dudes this year, but it still is ALMOST any one's game. Of the guys and girls that really can sing...about four-fellows and five-foxxys...the competition is pretty even. Well...almost even. Simon said after the last performance of the night...which just might be my second favorite ever...right behind Kelly Clarkson's, "Natural Women," "...I'm almost tempted to tell the remaining 23 here tonight to pack your bags and buy a plane ticket.


My girl..LaKisha Jones was out of control last night...NO ONE WAS EVEN CLOSE. Put her in a competition with ALL of the former Idol winners and I think she'd come in a close second to this girl...

In third place in my dream world...would be Dreamgirls stand out...Jennifer Hudson

So...I'm short on time...I have a huge test this morning...fingers crossed...here is my run-down from last night's show. Mind you there is a huge gap between first and second with the ladyhumps.






Going home tonight: Antonella Barba, Amy Krebs, Paul Kim, and Rudy Cardenas.
If you want to learn more about the dark side of American Idol check out DialIdol and VoteForTheWorst.

American Idol 6 - Top 12 Men

Well...what a disappointment last night's show was. It almost made me want to watch AFN Idol instead! From these Top 12, we, as citizens of the greatest nation in the world, have to vote out six. This will be very tough, because I only like five of them. Last night's show (get the full run-down) only had a few shinning stars...luckily they were all of my favorites. In order of how they performed:








I didn't vote, won't vote, until the Top 12 are set, or unless I feel one of these dudes won't make it. The girls are next. Here are my favorites going into the show:

ADD and John Mayer

I tend to move so fast, I fail to pick up on the subtleties in life. This is particularly true when it comes to movie stars and music lyrics. I'll make up names and words and speak them with the so much confidence, even pop-culture robots will believe me! I tend to just play it off when I get busted for my errors...HEY, someone has to be the smart one and someone has to be the handsome one! I'm still trying to figure out which one I am.

John Mayer just won two Grammys for pop album of the year, and best pop male artist. By now, you're probably are asking yourself what John Mayer and my ADD have in common. Well it happens to be the lyrics in is Grammy wining song, "Waiting On The World To Change." I bought his CD "Continuum" two months ago and have played it, and played it, and played it...But I, like usual, just kind made up the lyrics with restless abandon. It wasn't until last week when my wife said, "don't you just love that one lyric in the song?" Par for course I said YEAH! She then said, "you don't know what I'm talking about...do you?" BUSTED! She always busts me. She's good...real good. And she is like 100-times smarter than me.

The lyric in question has really allowed me to not only focus on all the words in the song, (which will be another post) but on what ADD really does to me. Here is the lyric:

"When you trust your television, what you get is what you got. 'Cause when they own the information, they can bend it all they want."

WOW! That is really profound. There are at least a dozen more similar "mantra-like" lyrics in this song. But I had missed them for two-months, and probably would of missed them for ever, if it weren't for my wife. What else have I missed? What else do I think I know, but am too busy to slow down for just a second or two? A BIG THANK YOU TO MY WIFE...and JOHN MAYER.

My Six-Month Vacation

This may be a re-hash for many of you, but I wanted to bring everyone up to speed:

This is my second trip to Iraq. I’m a Combat Correspondent (radio/TV broadcast journalist) in the US Air Force. I leave for Iraq sometime in April. I will be reporting the military news from all over the country. This will entail me making several trips via convoy, air, or combo of both. I fell very prepared. I may also be running the radio station...Freedom Radio 107.7 . I will be there for a little over six months. I wanted to get everyone’s e-mail address so I can communicate on a daily, or near daily basis, so folks will now what really happens while deployed in Iraq. I’ve been in now for almost 17 years. Not sure if I’m going to cut loose when I hit 20 years.

I want to put together an e-mail group of my extended family so I can keep in touch with everyone and not just while I’m in Iraq! We have a wonderful extended family that has seem to have lost touch, maybe even forgot, how much we mean to each other and how much fun we had together. For the record, my goal is not to SPAM you with jokes, rather, a quick and sincere… “how ya doing” and updates from Iraq.

For Friends and Family

This is the place I will post all of my thoughts! I will use this blog to update friends and family on my vacation to Iraq, post my views on the world we live in, my struggles with ADD, my daily triumphs and set backs in life, and just about anything else I can think of. The content will sometimes be controversial...that is on purpose. I'm a very passionate person. The content will sometimes be ridiculous...that too is on purpose. I'm a very ridiculous man. The content will sometimes be about stuff only I care about...sorry! Feel free to comment and share with me your ideals.

Soon I will be able to add pictures, links, and all that cool stuff. For now, my good friend Chris V. is adding cool stuff. I highly recommend you link to Jacksnupple and The Dooce for some good reading. I will transfer over some of my favorite blogs from another site I hang out. Also, I have a real good blog in my head about ADD and me.

Thanks for your time.