kentucky derby 2006

...here it is folks. another horse race in kentucky. i'm not sure what the best way is to guess at who might win, but here's the list. i usually pick by name. odds might mean something, but name is everything. this year it's going to be sinister minister. who's your pick? maybe we should put some money on this.

Post Position
Horse Name
Trainer
Jockey
Morning Line Odds
1
Jazil
Kiaran McLaughlin
Fernando Jara
30-1
2
Steppenwolfer
Daniel Peitz
Robby Albarado
30-1
3
Keyed Entry
Todd Pletcher
Patrick Valenzuela
30-1
4
Sinister Minister
Bob Baffert
Victor Espinoza
12-1
5
Point Determined
Bob Baffert
Rafael Bejarano
12-1
6
Showing Up
Barclay Tagg
Conrelio Velazquez
20-1
7
Bob and John
Bob Baffert
Garrett Gomez
12-1
8
Barbaro
Michael Matz
Edgar Prado
4-1
9
Sharp Humor
Dale Romans
Mark Guidry
20-1
10
A.P. Warrior
John Shirreffs
Corey Nakatani
15-1
11
Sweet Northern Saint
Michael Trombetta
Kent Desormeaux
10-1
12
Private Vow
Steve Asmussen
Shaun Bridgmohan
50-1
13
Bluegrass Cat
Todd Pletcher
Ramon Dominguez
30-1
14
Deputy Glitters
Tom Albertrani
Jose Lazcano
50-1
15
Seaside Retreat
Mark Casse
Patrick Husbands
50-1
16
Cause to Believe
Jerry Hollendorfer
Russell Baze
50-1
17
Lawyer Ron
Bob Holthus
John McKee
4-1
18
Brother Derek
Dan Hendricks
Alex Solis
3-1
19
Storm Tressure
Steve Asmussen
David Flores
50-1
20
Flashy Bull
Kiaran McLaughlin
Mike Smith
50-1

sit down. stand up.

i'm not sure whether or not this is the real radiohead video for this song, but it's pretty intense. maybe even ballsy. even if you don't like the band, this video is worth a watch. a well done anti-war plea.

WARNING...there are some graphic/disturbing images

sit down. stand up. video

sera cahoone

if you're a fan of the patty griffin, gillian welch circle of friends then check out this seattle based singer. sera cahoone myspace site.

she's toured with iron and wine. and she looks a little bit like parker posey.

may is crappy music video month

let's thank the band STYX for this week's video

link

best show...cancelled

after watching the two first seasons of arrested development all the way through, i decided that it was my new fave show. i was going to come home from the beach and actually have a show that i was going to watch every week. well, i got home and found out that it's been cancelled. bummer. why do shows like the "king of queens", "everyone loves raymond", and "american idol" get to stay on tv? oh well.

going to the beach

i don't usually get excited about going to the beach. it means putting on a swimsuit. for a woman, the first swimsuit outing of the season can be a chore. there's much prep involved. i usually prefer the mountains. now that i'm married to a man who would prefer the ocean anyday, i'm learning how to appreciate the beauty of the coast. i actually cried when we sat together for the first time on the pacific coast a few years ago. i'm becoming a changed woman.

soon, we'll get to sit together for the first time at the atlantic coast. much different scenery, but i'm sure it'll be beautiful. we also get to spend some quality time with his best friend from high school, his wife, and two young sons. and there's a hottub. and fresh seafood. and a bagel shop. i could probably go on and on.

outer banks...here we come. i hope nobody lays out on horse poop.

the bishop hides the eggs

my friend, kit's, sister posted this photo on her blog. this is her son hunting eggs at church on easter sunday. if you couldn't tell...they're catholic. i love this photo b/c of the mystery of ward's unseen expression. i mean, he's just hunting easter eggs and bam! here's this guy with a funny hat and robe on. definitely not the easter bunny. what a great photo.

what kids think about boogers

today in the car spencer asked me if i've ever had a dog. i said yes. i asked the same and he said, "yes, a hot dog". not funny by my standards, but hilarious by his. he then proceeded to ask if i'd ever tasted boogers. i said, "not that i can recall". he said, "they're not that bad. they just remind me that i need more moisture".

pearl jam on SNL

pearl jam was my favorite band when i was in eighth grade. i can't believe they're still around, but i'm definitely going to watch them tonight on SNL. or at least i'll try to stay up and watch them. lindsay lohan is hosting the show. she can be pretty funny i guess. snl lohan skit
question of the day...which pearl jam song rocks the hardest?

flighty humans

on my bike ride home today i was realizing that there are only a few people that i trust to do things well and on time. my time, that is. i don't know many people who want to stay in one place and put roots down. i'm sure it's obvious that we are a people of change. we have a hard time being happy where we are. it often seems better elsewhere. could it be better somewhere else? would i be happier living in oregon near the rogue river? what would i do there? how would i make money? who would my friends be? do ryan and i want to have kids so far away from our parents? would one river actually make me happier?

then there's the question of happiness. we can't always be happy.

i'm not sure what to do yet about becoming a person who lives in the day and works with the circumstances. maybe i'll try to be a woman of my word. maybe i'll try to be upfront with people. maybe i'll make friends, cultivate friendships, and say goodbye graciously when my friends leave and i get to stay.

i guess i'm just trying to prepare myself to say goodbye to friends that may be leaving. it's takes me awhile so i'm going to start now. right now i don't know anyone who's actually leaving. there's only talk. and i'm going to work on being okay with staying. with making a life here in kentucky. maybe i'll appreciate oregon more as a vacation spot.

the scarlet letter

funny SNL scarlet letter skit. link

if you enjoy quality literature you'll enjoy this.

patty griffin

i was introduced to patty griffin's music during my sophomore year in college. by two sorority girls nonetheless. (not all sorority girls listen to britney spears and not all sorority girls are shallow). i have so many great memories of this music. she's a brilliant songwriter and a beautiful singer. she's only about 42, but looks older than my 56-year old mother. by the sound of her lyrics, patty's probably had a hard life. last night i was able to see her live for the first time. a spiritual experience. my friend, laura, got us 4th row seats. we could see how tight patty's pants were, her disheveled hair, and that she wore pantyhose with her open-toed shoes. laura said she could get away with it, but we never could. true. we could also see her passion as she sang, her energy as she played the guitar, and her humanness. this show is right up there with the gillian welch show that i saw with ryan a few years ago at the kentucky theatre. anyways, if you've never listened to patty, let me know and i'll burn you some songs.

patty griffin npr interview

a higher love?

ok, i like to listen to classic rock. on my way home today they played "higher love" by steve winwood on the radio. this is the question of the day...should that song be considered classic rock?

british people are funny

i was introduced to the show "little britain" by my friends the maddocks. here's a religious clip from the show. little britain religious clip. if you don't enjoy weird british humor then you need to learn how to.

stop-right now

this is yet another reason not to have cable tv. "donna" has her own reality show starting this sunday on vh1. 90210 where are they now? who cares?

scary business

ryan and i watched most of "the future of food" last night. it's a documentary on genetically modified foods and how the monsanto co. is trying to control the whole world's food supply (my take). monsanto is the company that sells ROUNDUP weed killer. they are supposedly making a "terminator" seed that makes it impossible for farmers to take seed from this year's crops and use them again next year. the "terminator" seed is only good for one growing season. one word-MONEY! what scares me the most is that they are engineering these creepy "genetically-modified" seeds/food and these GMO (genetically modified organism) ingredients are in pretty much everything we eat. here's a list of some foods that do and don't contain GMO ingredients-link

want to know what the hell GMO is and why it might be bad? link

you may not give a rat's about this, but the documentary is quite interesting and worth a watch. be prepared-it's definitely not a mindless movie.

becoming famous

well, i thought that by having my top 5 fave songs played on npr i would become famous. that might've happened if the host didn't address me as "julie". on the other hand he did pronounce "koch" correctly. you know what-maybe i don't want to be famous. they might put me in a pizza hut commercial with a short skirt on throwing cheese-filled pizza crust into some minor's mouth.

dorksville

i had the privilege of talking for 2 minutes with david dye yesterday. he's the host of "world cafe" on npr. out of sheer dorkiness, i emailed him my top 5 songs list b/c every week he plays a listener's list. so, he calls me up and we chat. i sound a bit like phyllis diller b/c my allergies are going nuts. the recording was for his friday show (tonight), but i think that show actually airs on sunday from 8-9pm on 91.3 in lexington. my list goes a little something like this:

1. mockingbird by ryan adams
2. i might be wrong by radiohead
3. black star (a radiohead song) performed by gillian welch and david rawlings
4. last goodbye by jeff buckley
5. peg by steely dan (good memories)

ryan wants to put groove is in the heart by dee-lite on his list. don't tell him, but it probably won't be chosen.

this just in

spring is here! this is the season of festivals and i have found the festival for you! (the you is generic b/c i really don't know who i'm talking to). DUKESFEST 2006! that's right you dukes of hazzard fans. at the beginning of june, nashville music city will host this glorious event. the general lee might even show up. i guess the whole thing would suck if the car didn't even come. let me know if you want any more info. maybe we can get a group and caravan. i'm getting my daisy dukes out right now! woohoo!

message in a bottle

for those of you who don't already know about mcsweeney's, it's a website of lists. some funny, some just flat out random. i found one about sting's possible "other" names. that sting, he's so hot right now.

link: sting's names

urkel and jesus

this is one heck of a sermon.

link: reverend urkel

mean dinner

what is the worst thing that you could serve someone for dinner? i'm asking because i'm tempted to serve butter bean pie for family dinner this week. it's savory and delicious, but is it mean? do people this far north still eat butter beans?

so weird

what the...? i just found out that ben harper and laura dern are married and have a small child. i would've never put those two together, but now that i think about it-it's kind of cool. i guess.

wrestlemania 2006

the hollaback girl vs. deborah harry. very scary. who's your pick?

we love tv preachers

this made me laugh out loud.

link: farting preacher

your xxx movie name

ryan and i were having a conversation with james and anna walsh a few weeks ago and discovered an appropriate way to figure out your xxx-adult movie name. your first name is the name of your first pet and your last name is the name of the first street you ever lived on. ryan's is "henry rhett". very sexy. very usable. i can't give mine...too inappropriate. what's yours?

wrestlemania 2006

ROUND TWO...owen wilson vs. lance armstrong. what do they have in common? they've both dated sheryl crow and they're both from texas. who's your pick?

wrestlemania 2006

ROUND ONE...dr. phil vs. dr. dobson. who's your pick?

spongeback mountain

james dobson would enjoy this parody...

link: spongeback mountain

for homestar runner fans

link: new strong bad email

THE SECRET INGREDIENT IS...

FROG LEGS!

alright, this is the deal. i give you culinary geniuses the secret ingredient and we'll see who comes up with the best recipe. this is only the beginning...

hey sweet thing

in honor of lent, i'm having a best sweet thing day on this blog. and i just wanted to put this big pint of chunky monkey on my blog. these are my favorites in no particular order. PS...newman o's are significantly better than oreos. what is your fave sweet thing?

jimmy fallon/parker posey dance for pepsi

these people are funny. link: pepsi commercial.

pimpalicious

i was reading a blog today and came across this doozy. i just have to share it with my special friends.

link: find your pimp name

take me out to the ballgame

major (boring) league baseball starts today with the rockies playing at the white sox. brrr. i guess it's only spring training so they're probably in florida. thank god. as boring as MLB baseball is-baseball is one of the first signs of the coming of spring. farm league is enjoyable (with a cheap beer in a plastic cup involved), but college baseball is where it's at. it's not as jam-packed as a football game and it's a bit more relaxed. unless you're the psycho mother of one of the players. a blog on psycho sports-moms will come later don't you worry. just think about it...nachos and cheese w/jalapenos, peanuts in the shell, sunflower seeds that you can crack open with your teeth, bud light, coors light, miller lite, frozen lemonade, sunshine, friends, people watching, cheering. and then there's the game. i'm enjoying this day even though i mourn the loss of liquids that taste for 40 days. i love jesus and spring. go cubs!

the mighty cranberry

could cranberry juice actually help prevent cavities? this article seems to think so. cranberry dental goodness.

silly bit of gossip...

i love my housemates. these people in the pictures don't live in our house, but ty and lisa samson are fun to chat with about mindless topics on occasion. like famous people and their lives. who cares? but it's fun. i've heard that lindsay lohan is hanging out with my new favorite alt-country guy, ryan adams. that is actually disturbing news to me. does he want more media attention? dating lindsay lohan is a cheap move, buddy. maybe she likes rockers? why doesn't she just date mick jagger. obviously she likes older men. anyways, i hope that this is just a rumour.

brokeback to the future

you've got to check this out. http://albinoblacksheep.com/video/brokebackfuture

what were they thinking?

my friend, will samson www.willzhead.typepad.com, has started a "name that caption" series in his blog. quite funny! so, along those lines, i'm starting a "what were/are they thinking" series. this first one baffles me. billy bob and angelina. what were they thinking?

aaaahhhh!!!!

hey, if this guy came to your front door would you convert to mormonism?

back home

well, ryan and i just finished a week-long trip to visit family and friends in texas. besides the fact that dallas is a concrete jungle, i love texas. the mexican food (and margaritas) flow like water to my soul. the bbq brisket is out of this world (and i do love my alabama pork-b-q). it was such good therapy to visit with friends-some i haven't seen since my wedding and some that i haven't seen since i was 17.

one of the highlights was when ryan and i took a detour through....CRAWFORD, TX! that there (up top) is picture of this god-forsaken town. i thought we'd at least see somebody political or cindy sheehan, the only human we saw was the girl in the souvenir shop. wow, just think about it-a souvenir shop in crawford, tx. let's just say that if you want a life-size cardboard cutout of the W, then this is your place.

actually, we enjoyed austin quite a bit. we walked up to a place called mt. bonnell. a "mt." in texas is only a few stairs up to an overlook, but i was determined to find lance. alas, even though we were looking over his luxurious ex-wife's neighborhood, we didn't see that sleezbag, i mean top-rate athlete.

try texas sometime. you'd never think it, but the state has so much going on. well, just don't go in the summer.

the bicycle god and middle-aged party girl split?

seriously, i was starting to like sheryl crow. should we be surprised? i'll bet that it was motherhood that scared her off...
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/9248867/crow_armstrong_announce_split?rnd=1139245738562&has-player=true&version=6.0.12.872

6 more weeks of winter...whatever.

i heard that the groundhog saw his shadow today. hey, if there's to be six more weeks of winter then that's fine with me. it's winter now with a 55 degree high in lexington, ky. can't beat that. does that groundhog know about global warming?

Weekend Update SNL funny

POEHLER-"A 37-year old woman who is seven months pregnant by a 15-year old boy said this week that she preferred older men, but the teenager aggresively wooed her. Hey, who wouldn't succumb to that? Am i right, Tina?

FEY-"You know it. 15-year old boys are so charming with their oily skin and their unflossed teeth..."

POEHLER-"Their hairless bodies reeking of day-old sweat and Doritos..."

FEY-"Their aggressive, saliva-filled french kisses..."

POEHLER-"Their dirty fingers and their chapped lips..."

FEY-"And of course, their sexy, sexy skid-marked underpants..."

POEHLER-"Irresistable, absolutely irresistable, i get it."

going to texas?

ryan and i have decided to journey west to texas, u.s. of a. there are many things that concern me about being in texas:
1. george w. bush
2. kids who dress like cowboys
3. big cows with horns
4. illegal border crossings
5. singers with names like billy joe shaver, jimmie dale gilmore, and jerry jeff walker

if anyone has any advice about texas-please contribute. we'll be in dallas and austin. maybe even san antonio for a day. we're all ears...

trifecta

well, i'm recovering from the most awful stomach illness i've had in years. ryan deemed it the "trifecta" of all stomach viruses. use your imagination. thank god for MLK holiday. and for all that MLK did for civil rights, of course. nothing of interest has really been happening yet this year. except that stupid brangalina thing. please, who cares if they're beautiful, exotic, rich, famous, caring...mr. pitt still left his wife for another woman. why do we praise that?

with a side of banjo, please

i was sitting around yesterday (after a lovely 3 hour nap) and decided that i needed to get back to the blog thing. so, over the past year i've been listening to some pretty inventive music. especially when it comes to adding a bit of banjo. this music isn't particularly bluegrass, although some might seem a bit americana. some indie. just cool banjo. these are my top three:

1. the be good tanyas...canadian, eh. three ladies. one banjo. some fiddle. beautiful voices.

2. sufjan stevens...this is a new find for me. very exciting! he's from minnesota (or somewhere in the midwest). i just bought "seven swans". the lyrics sound pretty jesusy and the album is pretty low-key, but his other stuff is a little more experimental.

3. iron and wine (sam beam)...he adds some banjo occasionally. very mellow with a bold finish. i just wanted to say "finish" b/c ryan and i recently watched "sideways" with some friends. pretty decent movie if you're a wine dork.

please feel free to add to my banjo band list...this list is for good use of banjo outside the bluegrass genre.

strong's interest inventory

well, i just took a test to determine what may be a good career path. my top three were random that's for sure. 1. radiologic technologist...someone who deals with radiology and x-rays. i can't imagine sitting inside a dark room looking at x-rays all the live long day. 2. farmer/rancher... how opposite is this from #1? 3. speech pathologist...i must have answered alot of "helping people" questions with much interest. this might be a pretty fun gig.

i can't decide. maybe i'll just go to culinary school. do they let you watch food tv alot there? as for now, i'm happy being a nanny. and not having to study.

the fruitcake lady

this is marie rudisill. 93 years old. truman capote's aunt. and an occasional guest on jay leno. she started going on the show teaching celebrities how to make a fruitcake. now she answers questions of random people and they broadcast it on the "tonight show". this woman is a riot! i was first introduced to her through a good friend from mississippi. ms. marie tells it like it is. if you haven't ever seen this and need a good laugh. go to www.nbc.com and search for "fruitcake lady" then click on the first link (it'll be a jay leno, "tonight show" link). there will be a list of the videos you can watch.

the real american idol

this is my oh, so talented brother, thomas. he made it to the final round of the boston american idol tryouts, but the fab three (randy, simon, and that ho, paula) knocked him out. as you can see, my bro is gangsta. for rizzal. he posed like this for this photo and is stuck that way. you know how your parents used to warn you about stuff like that? you should see him now.

shave and a haircut

you know that contest called american idol? well, i thought that one person was supposed to win and get a record deal. so why do runners up like bo bice and clay aiken get to record? bo's genre-southern rock-needs to stay classic rock. yes, i'm from the south and the same state as bo, but my big thing with him is that he needs a haircut. a bit too frizzy for my liking. i guess he fits the "image". and clay aiken, no comment. by the way, where's ruben?

funny ha, ha

interested in hillary clinton for pres. in 2008? check out this website.

www.billforfirstlady.com

bring it

supposedly snow is heading towards lexvegas, the land of the free and home of the brave. i'm not holding my breath. maybe i should go stock up on milk and bread anyways. i could never go a day without either.