The good news is that I finally like this season of Idol, it took me awhile to warm up to the new contestants and now I'm ready for the big guns. The final 10 (note: these are the contestants that will be on the summer tour), all of which I like in one way or another, except for Anoop. By the way America, I think that we made a bad decision by getting rid of Alexis Grace…while I think that her rendition of Jolene left much to be desired, I think that she was one of the best left.

Here is my rundown:


My Top 3: (so far)

1) Matt Giraud – HE IS AWESOME!!!! Randomly, he is the perfect blend of Robin Thicke, Justin Timberlake, Michael Buble and Jason Mraz. AMAZING! I have only ever voted twice in Idol history (Carrie Underwood and Carly Smithson) and I will let it be known that I'll be voting for Matt this season. I hope he wins and if he doesn’t win I hope he pulls a Jennifer Hudson/Daughtry on us and lives up to what he is capable of doing.

2) Megan Corkery – Yes, she has awkward dance moves and can be kind of different, but there is something about her that I can't resist, maybe it’s the sleeve tat (note: Carly Smithson had one too). I think she is great and given the right music choices, she'll do wonderful things.

3) Kris Allen – I think that he is just a tiny puppy that will eventually mature over the next few weeks. This guy has so much potential he has a voice that seems to adapt to everything he sings. If he figures out what he wants to be as an artist I think he'll go pretty far in the competition.


MOST ANNOYING:

1) Anoop Desai – He's just bad and I think that if it weren't for his Chapel Hill faithful from UNC voting every week, he would've been gone a long time ago. I mean he could probably easily win a karaoke competition, but other than that I've got no love for Anoop.

2) Danny Gokey – I know he has a sob story and I know that the judges love him, but I just can't get into him. For me he is a cross between Taylor Hicks and Clay Aiken and I just can't warm up yet, maybe in the coming weeks I'll figure out a way to like him.

3) Adam Lambert – A Broadway actor that has the talent and the ability to completely re-work songs to work for his style, too bad I don't really like his style. If he can figure out a way to tone down the dramatics I feel like I would like him more. He's a lot like David Cook in the sense that he takes a song and makes it entirely his own, barely even channeling the original version. Its obvious the producers like him best, he has the best lighting, usually song choice, staging, and order in the show.


For me the verdict is out on Lil Rounds and Michael Sarver, I don’t have a passionate opinion about either of them, sometimes I REALLY like them and other times I don't. I think the judges were really harsh on Michael this week, I thought his performance was by far the most fun of the evening.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Equinox...

So far, so good, I've lost about 19 lbs, give or take a pound depending on the time of day that I weigh myself. Plus, you'll be glad to know that I've only skipped 5 total days of working out since January 5th and lost about 2% body fat. Basically I need to lose 15 more pounds and 5% body fat, not sure how long that will take but I feel so much better, my clothes are starting to feel baggy and I get random compliments from people who haven't seen me in awhile. For me getting motivated to workout was finding a place that makes working out enjoyable with added amenities like a sauna and spa, I know it sounds weird but when something is relaxing and de-toxing it is so much more enjoyable for me.

I'm at the point in my routine where I don't know what to do from here as far as further weight loss, shifting the weight, toning and sculpting, etc. I've never been a big fan of working out so I'm slowly but surely learning my way around the gym. Because of my need for education and my impatience, I bit the bullet and joined the corporate mega-giant that is Equinox. It is a new facility in Dallas and it's really nice. I had my first session with my new best friend Colby, he will be training me over the next few months and was really positive. He told me that I've set very realistic goals and was encouraging, even noted that it is impressive that I know what I want to accomplish and that makes his job easy. Somebody should warn poor Colby that training me to do anything isn't exactly easy, but I'm trying to be flexible (literally, he's teaching me yoga poses to help with stretching) and I'm paying him which should be enough motivation for me to do anything that he says.

Tonight is our first workout together; last night was mostly testing, measuring and prodding. I'll keep you posted on how things are going.

Christine Caine...

I spent a few days at a Creative Church Conference about two weeks ago now and it was incredible. For me the highlight was a woman from the land down-under, Christine Caine. She is a phenomenal teacher/preacher and has the innate ability to speak directly to my heart through her excitement and realness.

I've just started it, but I'm reading her book "Stop Acting Like a Christian, Just Be One" and I love her message. If you want more information about her, youtube her or google her, you won't regret it, she is amazing.