Check out the videos from Jamie's holiday dance performance, as well as this year's cheer competition performance - the videos are under my account on youtube - scrippsranchmom.
Cheer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7BhtnJGFbo
Jazz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWujCkW_--g
Ballet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-vnkeYFut4
There are also multiple videos of her performing with the school choir, and even some fun "science" videos (coke and mentos)!
Monday, December 21, 2009
2009 Holiday Letter
Greetings Family and Friends!!
Hope this letter finds you all in good health. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Hard to believe, but 2009 is almost in the books by the time you get this letter. We have had a busy and challenging year but we are all in good heath and still gainfully employed. Ann at Fair Isaac (FICO), and I’m still at Solar Turbines.
Following is my attempt to update you on all the great things we experienced in 2009, and some not so great, like milestone B-Day’s for a few (well it’s better than the alternative?!?).
Starting with winter we made a holiday trip to visit our good friends Sammy, Sue and Loren who recently moved back to Scottsdale AZ. We spent a few days between Christmas and New Years with them and checked out the Biltmore decorations and the Chihuly glass exhibit touring thru Phoenix. Our annual ski trip this year was Park City, Utah. Our good friends Carolyn and Michael Ashburn have moved to Pennsylvania (miss you guys), so we had to be like regular visitors and stay at a resort. It was great fun, of course, and we stayed at a ski-in ski-out resort on the slopes, enjoyed the outdoor hot tub and pool surrounded with snow, along with all the usual fun. Jamie is coming along great with the ski lessons and soon she will be leaving Ann and me in the dust!!
March and spring brought us to Texas for a visit with Ann’s Dad (Mert) and Nan for a big family celebration of his 80th. We had fun visiting the extended family, and playing a little golf too, at Sun City in Georgetown.
April was all set up to be our big trip of the year, Disney cruise of course, but after flying to Orlando and spending a day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Ann and Jamie got very ill (IVs and hospital trip!!) and so we were unable to board the ship and had to return to San Diego. Not exactly the week we had planned but thank goodness for travel insurance, so we were able to recover most our expenses. Both Ann and Jamie recovered as well and were back to normal in a few days.
Memorial Day this year was a fun long weekend back in Scottsdale to visit friends, play a little golf and enjoy the pool this time at the Biltmore. It was already very warm in the desert and reminded us why we live on the coast with natural air conditioning.
In July we recovered our cruise trip by doing a Mexican Rivera adventure on the Royal Caribbean cruise line (to see what other cruise lines were offering). It was fun and easy since it sailed out of LA and made logistics simple with a drive and no worries about how many bags we would bring. We had fun with stops at Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta (swimming with the dolphins was our fav!).
August was another weekend getaway, visiting my sister Nancy, nieces Amanda, Vanessa and brother-in-law Matt, too. We had a good excursion to the new ballpark in St. Louis. Tough ticket to get, thanks Matt!! That was fun, and it was good for me to be back in a Midwestern ballpark that still has beer servers in the stands! Ann took way too many pictures of that!
Labor Day and our annual Kanafest, was as always a fantastic way to close out the summer, and reconnect with our friends, neighbors, family and co-workers. Then it was onto 4th grade for Jamie already, man that was quick. 4th grade is much tougher and better – Jamie finally has tests and we can bribe her to keep a 90+ average! And fall… Of course that means football and Pop-Warner. Jamie was on the cheer squad and that kept us busy most Saturdays into November.
Fall closed out with a limo party bus blow out for Ann’s milestone (yep the big 50!). We had lots of old friends visit from Dallas and her AA days. The theme was the search for the best margarita in San Diego. I think we found it (according to the votes) at Barra Barra in Old Town. It was fun seeing so many friends and having a house full of guests. Well that’s about all the room for stories this year. Hope you all have a great Christmas and New Year’s, and even better 2010!! Stay Healthy.
Love, Jamie, Ann, and Jim
Hope this letter finds you all in good health. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Hard to believe, but 2009 is almost in the books by the time you get this letter. We have had a busy and challenging year but we are all in good heath and still gainfully employed. Ann at Fair Isaac (FICO), and I’m still at Solar Turbines.
Following is my attempt to update you on all the great things we experienced in 2009, and some not so great, like milestone B-Day’s for a few (well it’s better than the alternative?!?).
Starting with winter we made a holiday trip to visit our good friends Sammy, Sue and Loren who recently moved back to Scottsdale AZ. We spent a few days between Christmas and New Years with them and checked out the Biltmore decorations and the Chihuly glass exhibit touring thru Phoenix. Our annual ski trip this year was Park City, Utah. Our good friends Carolyn and Michael Ashburn have moved to Pennsylvania (miss you guys), so we had to be like regular visitors and stay at a resort. It was great fun, of course, and we stayed at a ski-in ski-out resort on the slopes, enjoyed the outdoor hot tub and pool surrounded with snow, along with all the usual fun. Jamie is coming along great with the ski lessons and soon she will be leaving Ann and me in the dust!!
March and spring brought us to Texas for a visit with Ann’s Dad (Mert) and Nan for a big family celebration of his 80th. We had fun visiting the extended family, and playing a little golf too, at Sun City in Georgetown.
April was all set up to be our big trip of the year, Disney cruise of course, but after flying to Orlando and spending a day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Ann and Jamie got very ill (IVs and hospital trip!!) and so we were unable to board the ship and had to return to San Diego. Not exactly the week we had planned but thank goodness for travel insurance, so we were able to recover most our expenses. Both Ann and Jamie recovered as well and were back to normal in a few days.
Memorial Day this year was a fun long weekend back in Scottsdale to visit friends, play a little golf and enjoy the pool this time at the Biltmore. It was already very warm in the desert and reminded us why we live on the coast with natural air conditioning.
In July we recovered our cruise trip by doing a Mexican Rivera adventure on the Royal Caribbean cruise line (to see what other cruise lines were offering). It was fun and easy since it sailed out of LA and made logistics simple with a drive and no worries about how many bags we would bring. We had fun with stops at Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta (swimming with the dolphins was our fav!).
August was another weekend getaway, visiting my sister Nancy, nieces Amanda, Vanessa and brother-in-law Matt, too. We had a good excursion to the new ballpark in St. Louis. Tough ticket to get, thanks Matt!! That was fun, and it was good for me to be back in a Midwestern ballpark that still has beer servers in the stands! Ann took way too many pictures of that!
Labor Day and our annual Kanafest, was as always a fantastic way to close out the summer, and reconnect with our friends, neighbors, family and co-workers. Then it was onto 4th grade for Jamie already, man that was quick. 4th grade is much tougher and better – Jamie finally has tests and we can bribe her to keep a 90+ average! And fall… Of course that means football and Pop-Warner. Jamie was on the cheer squad and that kept us busy most Saturdays into November.
Fall closed out with a limo party bus blow out for Ann’s milestone (yep the big 50!). We had lots of old friends visit from Dallas and her AA days. The theme was the search for the best margarita in San Diego. I think we found it (according to the votes) at Barra Barra in Old Town. It was fun seeing so many friends and having a house full of guests. Well that’s about all the room for stories this year. Hope you all have a great Christmas and New Year’s, and even better 2010!! Stay Healthy.
Love, Jamie, Ann, and Jim
Sunday, October 25, 2009
2009 Cheer Competition
Jamie's squad had their cheer competition this morning. They didn't win, but they did a very nice routine (we thought they could have/should have come in 2nd, but the 2nd place squad did some harder stunts). In the starting formation, Jamie is on the left side, middle/2nd row. Then in the first set of stunts, she's in the middle group, one of the bases. Here's the link to the Youtube video (the file is too large to upload directly to the blog).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7BhtnJGFbo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7BhtnJGFbo
Monday, July 20, 2009
RCCL Cruise - Mariner of the Seas July 12 - 19 2009
We just returned from our summer vacation - this was a "replacement" cruise - Jamie and I got sick over spring break so we weren't able to go on our originally planned Disney Cruise in the Caribbean. We opted to do something closer to home, so drove up to LA and sailed down to the Mexican Riviera. We had a good time, but inevitably found ourselves comparing the RCCL cruise to our previous Disney ones. There are great things about each cruise and cruise line, but in my humble opinion, Disney has a superior product (and a premium price to go with it!). RCCL was definitely a better value. The two biggest differences were the quality of the food, and the quality of the entertainment (shows in the main theatre). Disney really wins in these categories. Both ships had lots to offer (RCCL has slight edge in activities) and service was comparable.
Our itinerary was 1 day at sea, then stops at Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta, then two more sea days and back to LA.
Our cabin and balcony:
Shore Excursions:
We took a snorkel catamaran trip in Cabo to Chileno Bay, the snorkeling was only so-so, but the margaritas and the sailing were quite fun.
Notice the second ship in the background below - it's the Carnival Ship that had a murder on board, they sailed out of San Diego and were in Cabo the same day as we were!
Jamie got to drive the Tender Boat when we returned from Cabo to the ship!
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Monday - RCCL Singers and Dancers - good talent and production, but lacked cohesiveness, had no plot, so was only so-so
Tuesday - Tribute, a salute to the Temptations - it was OK, but not that memorable (might have been the champagne that made me forget, though)
Wednesday - Ice Show - very unique for a cruise, well done with good costumes
Then also Wednesday was a late night "Love and Marriage Game Show" that was hysterical! It was like the Newlywed Game but with 3 couples - one newlywed, one wed the longest, then one in between. The elderly couple had been married 47 years, they were Wayne and Betty. Wayne stole the show when he admitted that Betty had two pairs of crotchless underwear. Abe (the Cruise Director who served as MC) had tears in his eyes and the audience gave Wayne a standing ovation. While the adults were at the adults-only-recommended show, we gave the kids money to hit the arcade. So it was a special treat for both young and old... Ann below with Abe the Cruise Director:
Thursday - LaRaf "Magic" show - La = Larry, Raf = Rafael; they did mostly classic illusions like with a box and levitation... best trick was at the end, in the audience was a large wooden box, they handcuffed Rafael's nephew, put him in a bag in the box; then Rafael stood on top of the box, lifted a red "curtain" around the box for no more than about 4-5 seconds - when the curtain dropped, it was the nephew on top of the box and Rafael in the box. That one was amazing.
Friday - RCCL Singers and Dancers in "Pure Energy" this show slightly better than Monday's, the theme was all about the 80s...
Saturday - Skipped the show in the main theatre, spent some time packing then went to see Matt Yee singalong instead. He is HILARIOUS! Would definitely recommend him. See picture below of Jim and Chad singing "My Ding-a-ling."
Food on the cruise was also only so-so. We had the first seating for dinner, 6pm. The first night, we were seated at a table with 6 elderly adults, 4 of whom did not speak English. I requested a new table and we got a good one, with 3 other families (all single moms with their child(ren)). Our dinner buddies were Michelle (Shelly), Nikki (11) and Sean (15) - pictures of them and one of us below. Jamie spent most of the remaining cruise hanging out with Nikki. They're from Temecula, so we'll hopefully see them again!
All the specialty restaurants were really good (Johnny Rockets, Chops and Portofino's). Windjammer's for breakfast was basic buffet, with one station to cook eggs and omelettes to order. Lunch there was also only so-so. Salad bar decent, but the hot food was fairly bland. The most memorable meal was the wine paired dinner our last night at Portofino's. The scallop appetizer was good and the tenderloin was GREAT! The most memorable dessert was the chocolate cake/pie thing at Chops. Decadent! And stick with the steaks at Chops, the shrimp dish was disappointing.
Johnny Rockets:
Dinner at Chops:
Scallop and Lobster appetizer at Portofino's:
On board, the activities were good. We had access to the Concierge Lounge so we had free drinks from 5 - 8:30 each night - they really took care of us and even filled our to-go cups!
We loved the rock climbing wall, did it both of the last two sea days. Talk about hard, though. Wow! That required muscles that I never knew I had...
Also went ice skating on the last day - Jamie really got into it and then was sad that we hadn't gone before, so she could go again.
We played miniature golf a couple of times at the course up on the top deck. The last couple of days sailing back were WINDY up there, combination of headwind and ship speed!
We hung out at the pool periodically - they had a men's legs contest contest (warning men, there’s a twist!), then a women's bicep contest (Jamie and I entered but did not win). They did line dancing lessons at the pool, and a belly flop contest (77-year old Wayne, from the Love and Marriage show won). The only "gripe" I have about the pool is that it was salt water. Just not that refreshing :( But Jamie's favorite was the soft serve frozen yogurt machine that was pool side. I think the most she had in one day was 4...
The ship had an indoor promenade, with shopping and specialty bars. We did a wine tasting at Vintages, and it became one of our favorite meeting spots for a glass of wine. There were a couple of dance parties on the promenade and parades... a good central gathering place...
Ann, Chad and Adam at Vintages:
Jim and I hit the casino several late nights, this might have been our downfall in terms of lack of sleep... We had a group "slot pull" with friends we made on-line on the cruise critic boards...
We broke even on blackjack, made about $40 on Let it Ride, but then Ann lost $100 on Texas Hold 'Em in one hand!!! It was an electronic table, that was interesting, I've never seen one before. I was dealt on my first hand, pocket aces. I was chatting with Larry (from the magic show) so wasn't paying enough attention, there was nothing that interesting on the flop and the remaining cards (no possible straights or flushes or visible pairs). So I kept calling the bets till it was down to me and one guy; he had two pairs! I felt pretty stupid - sat down and stood up after one hand (there was $100 buy in, I didn't want to risk more). Live and learn! Here's the entrance to the casino:
One of the highlights for Jim... we were invited to a private party with the Captain and ship's officers. While chatting with the Captain, I mentioned that Jim had missed the Bridge Tour on our cruise that wasn't (the Spring Break cruise). He invited us to a bridge tour on Saturday but made us promise not to tell anyone. There were three families on the tour, it was very cool. Jim asked questions about the engines and propulsion and engineering stuff. I asked about where they put the trash (it's recycled or incenerated). Jamie got to sit in the captain's chair!
On Saturday morning, the last day at sea, we had multiple whale sightings while at breakfast, around 9am or so, lasting maybe 30 minutes. I ran as fast as I could back to the room for the cameras, I missed the really close-up ones (in terms of getting photos) but did get a few shots of them in the distance, spouting water from their blow holes. Such an amazing sight!
Our itinerary was 1 day at sea, then stops at Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta, then two more sea days and back to LA.
Our cabin and balcony:
Shore Excursions:
We took a snorkel catamaran trip in Cabo to Chileno Bay, the snorkeling was only so-so, but the margaritas and the sailing were quite fun.
Notice the second ship in the background below - it's the Carnival Ship that had a murder on board, they sailed out of San Diego and were in Cabo the same day as we were!
Jamie got to drive the Tender Boat when we returned from Cabo to the ship!
We went to Stone Island for a beach day at Mazatlan. We took a water taxi then a tractor/trailer ride to the beach.
It was open bar (whoo whoo!), we had a traditional Mexican lunch and there were optional activites - we did horseback riding, Jamie did a banana boat ride, boogie boarding and tried to break the pinata. We met a fun dad/son (Chad and Adam from Washington) and spent the day with them and then spent a lot of time with them on the ship after that.
It was open bar (whoo whoo!), we had a traditional Mexican lunch and there were optional activites - we did horseback riding, Jamie did a banana boat ride, boogie boarding and tried to break the pinata. We met a fun dad/son (Chad and Adam from Washington) and spent the day with them and then spent a lot of time with them on the ship after that.
In Puerto Vallarta, we had a GREAT excursion to swim with the dolphins. It was through Vallarta Adventures, called Dolphin Signature Swim. We were in the water for almost an hour with the dolphins, with the highlight a ride on the dolphin's belly across the pool (by holding onto its flippers). Excellent, excellent excursion, I would highly recommend. After the excursion, we did some power shopping in Old Town and had margaritas at Senor Frogs.
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Nighttime shows/ entertainment on the ship:
Sunday - welcome aboard show with a so-so juggler (Chuck Gunter) and funny comedian Dan Wilson
Sunday - welcome aboard show with a so-so juggler (Chuck Gunter) and funny comedian Dan Wilson
Monday - RCCL Singers and Dancers - good talent and production, but lacked cohesiveness, had no plot, so was only so-so
Tuesday - Tribute, a salute to the Temptations - it was OK, but not that memorable (might have been the champagne that made me forget, though)
Wednesday - Ice Show - very unique for a cruise, well done with good costumes
Then also Wednesday was a late night "Love and Marriage Game Show" that was hysterical! It was like the Newlywed Game but with 3 couples - one newlywed, one wed the longest, then one in between. The elderly couple had been married 47 years, they were Wayne and Betty. Wayne stole the show when he admitted that Betty had two pairs of crotchless underwear. Abe (the Cruise Director who served as MC) had tears in his eyes and the audience gave Wayne a standing ovation. While the adults were at the adults-only-recommended show, we gave the kids money to hit the arcade. So it was a special treat for both young and old... Ann below with Abe the Cruise Director:
Thursday - LaRaf "Magic" show - La = Larry, Raf = Rafael; they did mostly classic illusions like with a box and levitation... best trick was at the end, in the audience was a large wooden box, they handcuffed Rafael's nephew, put him in a bag in the box; then Rafael stood on top of the box, lifted a red "curtain" around the box for no more than about 4-5 seconds - when the curtain dropped, it was the nephew on top of the box and Rafael in the box. That one was amazing.
Friday - RCCL Singers and Dancers in "Pure Energy" this show slightly better than Monday's, the theme was all about the 80s...
Saturday - Skipped the show in the main theatre, spent some time packing then went to see Matt Yee singalong instead. He is HILARIOUS! Would definitely recommend him. See picture below of Jim and Chad singing "My Ding-a-ling."
Food on the cruise was also only so-so. We had the first seating for dinner, 6pm. The first night, we were seated at a table with 6 elderly adults, 4 of whom did not speak English. I requested a new table and we got a good one, with 3 other families (all single moms with their child(ren)). Our dinner buddies were Michelle (Shelly), Nikki (11) and Sean (15) - pictures of them and one of us below. Jamie spent most of the remaining cruise hanging out with Nikki. They're from Temecula, so we'll hopefully see them again!
All the specialty restaurants were really good (Johnny Rockets, Chops and Portofino's). Windjammer's for breakfast was basic buffet, with one station to cook eggs and omelettes to order. Lunch there was also only so-so. Salad bar decent, but the hot food was fairly bland. The most memorable meal was the wine paired dinner our last night at Portofino's. The scallop appetizer was good and the tenderloin was GREAT! The most memorable dessert was the chocolate cake/pie thing at Chops. Decadent! And stick with the steaks at Chops, the shrimp dish was disappointing.
Johnny Rockets:
Dinner at Chops:
Scallop and Lobster appetizer at Portofino's:
On board, the activities were good. We had access to the Concierge Lounge so we had free drinks from 5 - 8:30 each night - they really took care of us and even filled our to-go cups!
We loved the rock climbing wall, did it both of the last two sea days. Talk about hard, though. Wow! That required muscles that I never knew I had...
Also went ice skating on the last day - Jamie really got into it and then was sad that we hadn't gone before, so she could go again.
We played miniature golf a couple of times at the course up on the top deck. The last couple of days sailing back were WINDY up there, combination of headwind and ship speed!
We hung out at the pool periodically - they had a men's legs contest contest (warning men, there’s a twist!), then a women's bicep contest (Jamie and I entered but did not win). They did line dancing lessons at the pool, and a belly flop contest (77-year old Wayne, from the Love and Marriage show won). The only "gripe" I have about the pool is that it was salt water. Just not that refreshing :( But Jamie's favorite was the soft serve frozen yogurt machine that was pool side. I think the most she had in one day was 4...
The ship had an indoor promenade, with shopping and specialty bars. We did a wine tasting at Vintages, and it became one of our favorite meeting spots for a glass of wine. There were a couple of dance parties on the promenade and parades... a good central gathering place...
Ann, Chad and Adam at Vintages:
Jim and I hit the casino several late nights, this might have been our downfall in terms of lack of sleep... We had a group "slot pull" with friends we made on-line on the cruise critic boards...
We broke even on blackjack, made about $40 on Let it Ride, but then Ann lost $100 on Texas Hold 'Em in one hand!!! It was an electronic table, that was interesting, I've never seen one before. I was dealt on my first hand, pocket aces. I was chatting with Larry (from the magic show) so wasn't paying enough attention, there was nothing that interesting on the flop and the remaining cards (no possible straights or flushes or visible pairs). So I kept calling the bets till it was down to me and one guy; he had two pairs! I felt pretty stupid - sat down and stood up after one hand (there was $100 buy in, I didn't want to risk more). Live and learn! Here's the entrance to the casino:
One of the highlights for Jim... we were invited to a private party with the Captain and ship's officers. While chatting with the Captain, I mentioned that Jim had missed the Bridge Tour on our cruise that wasn't (the Spring Break cruise). He invited us to a bridge tour on Saturday but made us promise not to tell anyone. There were three families on the tour, it was very cool. Jim asked questions about the engines and propulsion and engineering stuff. I asked about where they put the trash (it's recycled or incenerated). Jamie got to sit in the captain's chair!
On Saturday morning, the last day at sea, we had multiple whale sightings while at breakfast, around 9am or so, lasting maybe 30 minutes. I ran as fast as I could back to the room for the cameras, I missed the really close-up ones (in terms of getting photos) but did get a few shots of them in the distance, spouting water from their blow holes. Such an amazing sight!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
SYTYCD taping
I love living in So Cal and having periodic opportunities to attend show tapings up in LA. Last night I attended the taping of So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) for the performance show that will air tonight.
Below is what you might call a "spoiler" with notes from the show. Heck, no one will care from the show - ANY publicity is good publicity, I'm sure!
Interesting – I think it may be better on TV – seeing the dancers from multiple angles, etc. It was clear to me that the most of the judges comments have been “pre scripted” – it all happened SO fast, no way that they could pick out the minute details that they do and articulate their feedback it in an organized way that quickly.
Some specifics about the dances and judge’s comments:
Janette and Brandon — Latin – They opened the show, she wore a hot pink sparkly thing. I thought he/Brandon was amazing. He seems bigger, stockier, more muscular on TV than in person. Mia FINALLY fessed up that she has changed her mind about Brandon and that she’s only the hardest on those she expects the most from. Mary put them in “First Class” on the Hot Tamale train.
Kayla and Kupono — Contemporary – their number was based on a vampire theme – she was resisting death, he was dragging her toward it. Costuming and makeup for Kayla were GREAT. She was really, really good. Very strong technique (look at her leg positions and toes on the lifts!), very good emotional connection with the dance. Judges also LOVED this one.
Caitlin and Jason — this was some sort of jazz/contemporary dance, where she was an alien and she was trying to “dominate him” and get him (an earthling) to impregnate her. VERY weird and mixed reactions from the judges. I don’t think she pulled it off very well, wasn’t really that believable. Caitlin wore a skin tight black rubbery number with all sorts of silver spikes and ribbons on it. Judges said the costume was distracting. Nigel called it a big condom (don’t know if this will make the editing cut!) and then some humor ensued from there...
Randi and Evan— Broadway by Joey Dowling – they did a number with table and chairs as props. Judges said that she was good, but said Evan should have been even better since this is his specialty. Candidly, that’s not what I thought at all! I thought he was fine and she was so-so. I think they missed one lift, though judges didn’t comment on it. I think she looked weak in terms of energy level, lines, leg positioning, etc. Mia said it/she looked “heavy” – so here’s my catty comment… she does look heavy/thick in person, stocky build, it’s not just the TV that adds 10 pounds! I'm not one to talk (about being heavy), but then I'm not on TV!
Jeanine and Phillip — Hip Hop by Napoleon and Tabitha – this number had a chain as a prop – they were shackled together by about an 8-foot chain during the whole dance. I liked it, Nigel and Mary gave it good reviews. Mia complimented the choreographers at first but then proceeded to rip the routine apart, saying that the chain was distracting rather than enhancing the routine.
Melissa and Ade — Pas de deux – One of my favorite and judges’ favorite dances of the evening, it was a ballet from Romeo and Juliet. Melissa was “en pointe” (she also wore the pointe shoes in the opening dance “snippet”). She got to show off, really (almost seems unfair), and Ade did a good job. Judges all sorts of proud of themselves for putting classical ballet in primetime…
Karla and Vitolio — Quickstep – This one closed the show. Vitolio started out as a statue on a podium and somehow she brought him to life. But the thing to watch out for is her “quick change” during the dance. You’ve seen those magic routines, where the woman (or couple) gets under a sheet or behind a wall for just a second and comes out in a new outfit?!? Well Karla does this mid-dance and now we can all see how it really works!!! Judges gave both dancers good reviews – said Vitolio has been inconsistent but was good tonight…
During one segment, the show is also introducing a new charitable foundation related to dance. They announced that their 100th episode will be airing in July. As part of this celebration, Katie Holmes (who helped start the foundation) will be dancing/performing as part of the show.
And lastly, other notes:
Debbie from Idol is also the stage manager for this show. During a break, I asked about how she’s recovering from her injury. They told the story and she showed us her scar. I talked to her 1:1 later and got to see it up close – it’s a monster “T” shaped thing, over 100 stitches, healing up nicely. She was totally cool…
I watched the judges during the first performance and couldn’t figure out why they weren’t even watching the dancers – ends up they have two monitors built into their table, so they alternate between watching the dancers “live” and on the monitor. I will say, that during the Romeo and Juliet ballet – they watched the stage the whole time, very attentive to this one!
And Cat is “all that.” Tonight she wears a fuchsia number with a studded dark brown belt and matching shoes.
Mary’s drink was only refilled once during the show, I couldn’t tell what she was drinking, though.
Nigel was totally nice and cool. I was standing right by the judge’s table and got to talk with him during several of the breaks. He has a missing disk (sounded like surgery) in his back/shoulder, was having pain with it… he was doing some stretching/arm exercises during a break, had the stage guys get him some aspirin.
Watch for me on TV!!!
Below is what you might call a "spoiler" with notes from the show. Heck, no one will care from the show - ANY publicity is good publicity, I'm sure!
Interesting – I think it may be better on TV – seeing the dancers from multiple angles, etc. It was clear to me that the most of the judges comments have been “pre scripted” – it all happened SO fast, no way that they could pick out the minute details that they do and articulate their feedback it in an organized way that quickly.
Some specifics about the dances and judge’s comments:
Janette and Brandon — Latin – They opened the show, she wore a hot pink sparkly thing. I thought he/Brandon was amazing. He seems bigger, stockier, more muscular on TV than in person. Mia FINALLY fessed up that she has changed her mind about Brandon and that she’s only the hardest on those she expects the most from. Mary put them in “First Class” on the Hot Tamale train.
Kayla and Kupono — Contemporary – their number was based on a vampire theme – she was resisting death, he was dragging her toward it. Costuming and makeup for Kayla were GREAT. She was really, really good. Very strong technique (look at her leg positions and toes on the lifts!), very good emotional connection with the dance. Judges also LOVED this one.
Caitlin and Jason — this was some sort of jazz/contemporary dance, where she was an alien and she was trying to “dominate him” and get him (an earthling) to impregnate her. VERY weird and mixed reactions from the judges. I don’t think she pulled it off very well, wasn’t really that believable. Caitlin wore a skin tight black rubbery number with all sorts of silver spikes and ribbons on it. Judges said the costume was distracting. Nigel called it a big condom (don’t know if this will make the editing cut!) and then some humor ensued from there...
Randi and Evan— Broadway by Joey Dowling – they did a number with table and chairs as props. Judges said that she was good, but said Evan should have been even better since this is his specialty. Candidly, that’s not what I thought at all! I thought he was fine and she was so-so. I think they missed one lift, though judges didn’t comment on it. I think she looked weak in terms of energy level, lines, leg positioning, etc. Mia said it/she looked “heavy” – so here’s my catty comment… she does look heavy/thick in person, stocky build, it’s not just the TV that adds 10 pounds! I'm not one to talk (about being heavy), but then I'm not on TV!
Jeanine and Phillip — Hip Hop by Napoleon and Tabitha – this number had a chain as a prop – they were shackled together by about an 8-foot chain during the whole dance. I liked it, Nigel and Mary gave it good reviews. Mia complimented the choreographers at first but then proceeded to rip the routine apart, saying that the chain was distracting rather than enhancing the routine.
Melissa and Ade — Pas de deux – One of my favorite and judges’ favorite dances of the evening, it was a ballet from Romeo and Juliet. Melissa was “en pointe” (she also wore the pointe shoes in the opening dance “snippet”). She got to show off, really (almost seems unfair), and Ade did a good job. Judges all sorts of proud of themselves for putting classical ballet in primetime…
Karla and Vitolio — Quickstep – This one closed the show. Vitolio started out as a statue on a podium and somehow she brought him to life. But the thing to watch out for is her “quick change” during the dance. You’ve seen those magic routines, where the woman (or couple) gets under a sheet or behind a wall for just a second and comes out in a new outfit?!? Well Karla does this mid-dance and now we can all see how it really works!!! Judges gave both dancers good reviews – said Vitolio has been inconsistent but was good tonight…
During one segment, the show is also introducing a new charitable foundation related to dance. They announced that their 100th episode will be airing in July. As part of this celebration, Katie Holmes (who helped start the foundation) will be dancing/performing as part of the show.
And lastly, other notes:
Debbie from Idol is also the stage manager for this show. During a break, I asked about how she’s recovering from her injury. They told the story and she showed us her scar. I talked to her 1:1 later and got to see it up close – it’s a monster “T” shaped thing, over 100 stitches, healing up nicely. She was totally cool…
I watched the judges during the first performance and couldn’t figure out why they weren’t even watching the dancers – ends up they have two monitors built into their table, so they alternate between watching the dancers “live” and on the monitor. I will say, that during the Romeo and Juliet ballet – they watched the stage the whole time, very attentive to this one!
And Cat is “all that.” Tonight she wears a fuchsia number with a studded dark brown belt and matching shoes.
Mary’s drink was only refilled once during the show, I couldn’t tell what she was drinking, though.
Nigel was totally nice and cool. I was standing right by the judge’s table and got to talk with him during several of the breaks. He has a missing disk (sounded like surgery) in his back/shoulder, was having pain with it… he was doing some stretching/arm exercises during a break, had the stage guys get him some aspirin.
Watch for me on TV!!!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Video from Knotts Soak City
Jamie and I took some time today to play - here we are riding the Pacific Spin at Knotts Soak City - wild ride! The day was cold but we managed to have some fun anyway!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Ann attending WITI Conference
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Jamie in the Dingeman Honor Choir
I've posted a few videos from this school year - Jamie tried out and made the Honor Choir at her school. They do several performance through the year, it's good experience for her... Here are the links to Youtube:
Hashivenu - an Israeli folk song, performed in Hebrew. This performance was introduced by 3rd grader Jamie K.
Plain Cheeseburger - a humorous performance from the Spring Concert in May.
Gloria Deo! - performed at the Spring Concert in May, 2009.
Amani Utupe - Grant Us Peace, Give Us Courage - another moving performance from the Spring Concert.
Click Here to listen to the beautiful voices of the students in the Dingeman Honor Choir as they performed the song "Voices That Care" during the Scripps Ranch Veteran's Day event in November, 2008.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Pictures from AT&T Store
Jamie and I saw Adam at his stopover at an AT&T wireless store, where he received a customized American Idol cell phone then got a text message from Simon Cowell with the judge's song choice for next week.
Not very crowded when we first arrived...
Adam arrives in the stretch limo...
He gets his new cell phone...
He reads the message from Simon.
Fans are mobbing him, it's crazy as he leaves!
Not very crowded when we first arrived... 
Adam arrives in the stretch limo... 
He gets his new cell phone... 
He reads the message from Simon. 
Fans are mobbing him, it's crazy as he leaves!
Pictures from FOX 5 show with Adam Lambert
Pics from today - for details about the "Adam Day" see post below...
I was the first to arrive at the Fox 5 studio, at 6:15am... I had signs, the studio folks took my picture!
The "crowd" finally arrives...
Adam's ride for the day.
Adam being interviewed...
I was the first to arrive at the Fox 5 studio, at 6:15am... I had signs, the studio folks took my picture!
The "crowd" finally arrives... 
Adam's ride for the day.
Adam being interviewed...
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