Summer Slothing

When I'm not slothing on the couch and doing nothing, I'm planning and thinking about what's next. How I'm going to get to there. Without American Idol to entertain me and blind me to the apathy and laziness that consumes me, I'm forced to read and grow.

Watched "The Secret" again last night. Challenging stuff. Also started the 30day Anthony Robbins' "Personal Power" thingy, again this morning. Made a list, took some action - all that. Between the universe delivering me my dreams and me taking action, something will happen, believe me you.

If I died tomorrow will I have done everything as big and bold as I could have?

I probably blog too much.

So ...how does a person balance a sky-rocketing career (long hours, travel, stress) with real-life joys (kids, bedtime stories, playing outside)? Quite a duality, me thinks. Do I trade another "industry function", hob nobbing, glad handing, and business card exchanges for dinner at home, swimming with the kids, and singing "The Rainbow Connection" to my dozing kids at bedtime?

I often lament ...what would I want my tombstone or someone eulogizing me to say? "Don was the richest son-of-a-bitch I've ever known" or "Don was the perfect father."

Obvious answer. But still ...do you ever think about how some goals and actions simply must be done at the exclusion of another goal and action?

I still haven't bought those Docksiders.

Am I Above It All?

No, I am mainstream-sheep-esque American and I LOVE the Paris Hilton crap. I hate her for simply being herself. I've never "got it" ...meaning, what makes her a celeb and a fixation.

What will I be watching tonight: The Soup, Best Week Ever (also a great blog following this crap story), and On the Record with Greta Van Sustren.

Radio stations are all over this gossip and the girl-to-beat seems to be Greta Van Sustren.

Greta was in the court and will have the final and best coverage of this fiasco if anyone is sittin' at home in their boxers tonight doin' nothin.

I'll be watchin' Greta.

Greta's blog leaves much to be desired (not very up-to-date ...the nerve!!!), but she says "something is seriously wrong with that woman (Paris)"

TvNewser has some up-to-the-minute blow-by-blow coverage if you simply can't get enough.

"If We're Going To Spend All Day On This, I'm Going To Have Some Fun,"
-Shep Smith

My Idol Vacation

I am still feeling a deep sense of loss with the end of American Idol. But, some good things have happened in the meantime.

Jericho is back due to a fan protest. Don't think you can make a difference in this world? Think again. Check out the letter from CBS President, Nina Tassler. Jericho fans staged a peaceful (albeit geeky) protest campaign over the abrupt cancellation. Thousands of fans sent peanuts to CBS, a reference to the Skeet Ulrich character saying "Nuts!" when asked if he would surrender. You can vent on several Websites, including CBS' Jericho message boards:

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/jericho/

www.jericholives.com
www.jerichorallypoint.com

So, it'll be back for at least 7 episodes in the Spring and if you all join me in watching and thanking the network with letters every week that it airs, we'll have Jericho forever and ever.

What I've been watching: Next Best Thing, sports, National Bingo Night (once ...it was only good because of the foreign guy referee and the fanny-pack chick), and more of my regular stuff. It appears, however, that it will be the summer of the movie. I won't review those movies ...that just ain't my bag.

Next Best Thing is great, for now. I don't know what they'll do after the try-outs, to be honest, but it's great train-wreckage while it lasts. This show is the recreation of my fears and insecurities. I imagine these celebrity-impersonator-people were told "you look and sound just like ___Fill-in-blank___" but they actually don't. And they suck. I was literally laughing to the point of tears during the Rod-Steward-guy. I really tried to like So You Think You Can Dane, On the Lot, American Inventor, and Pirate Survivor, but they are not the next best thing to Idol and Survivor.

Is the summer almost over?

To help make summer more enjoyable, I'm going to buy a pair of classic docksiders. The time has come for their return to fashion mainstream, and that new hey day will start with me.

I've been hard at work on my other blogs (see right). Well, ok, not so hard at work, actually.

WHAT I PLEDGE: I will review the 6 or 7 recent releases from past Idol winners and runners-up. Clarkson, Hicks, Yamin, McPheever, Daughtry, Pickler, and Underwood. This quirky gamble of a show is slowly defining the music-of-the-90s. More on that on a future blog entry. So far, Clarkson, Underwood and Yamin are good ...Daughtry is one lucky bald bastard ...Pickler, McPheever, and Hicks suck.