Cookie Wins!

Awesome! He definitely deserved to win. America finally got it right and my two votes counted. haha

Please, please make a great album. Please eventually tour without the other finalists so that you don’t have to do Brady Bunch performances.

David Cook: Guitar Hero!

Did you catch it? On a commercial break for AI, David Cook was playing Guitar Hero and he was doing Old Time Rock and Roll, the song from Risky Business in the scene where Tom Cruise is dancing around in his underwear. Hot!

Priceless! Who doesn’t LOVE that?! Awesome.

So glad the Guitar Hero people get it already. What a great commercial for Cookie!

ETA: Yay! It’s already on YouTube. Here it is. Strangely, I happened to find it right when ARCHULETA’s Guitar Hero commercial aired. IMHO, Cook’s works for him. I mean, he actually plays the guitar and rocks. He probably even knows the scene from the movie. Archuleta’s, while cute, just didn’t… fit.

Cookie vs. Archie

So tonight was the big match-up between the two Davids on American Idol. The night started out awesome with David Cook singing U2’s I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For. I really enjoyed that performance. I mean, I was clapping when it was done and was ready to buy the single. (For the first time EVER I did a pre-order of a song!)

David Archuleta performed second with Elton John’s (uh, I suddenly can’t remember the name of the song!)… Anyway, it was an Elton John song and it was very good. That kid can sing for sure when it comes to ballads.

After those songs, which were selected by Clive Davis, the two sang songs written by people who participated in a contest. Eh. Must have been a huge honor for the songwriters, but I didn’t get into either song all that much.

To close it out Cookie performed a Collective Soul song (I can’t remember the name of this song either!) and played acoustic guitar. To top it off, Cookie got teary-eyed after performing. Awww, so sweet. Waterworks for me…. Archie belted out Imagine again. Both performances, though very good, just didn’t give me the big excitement and pow! that I wanted for a finale. With Cookie, I expected a phenomenal finish but it fell short for me. Don’t get me wrong. He did a nice job of showing all of his skills tonight with the songs he performed but I wanted a slammin’ Bon Jovi song or some crazy rock version of a Celine Dion song.

If it were up to me, I would have started with the forgettable contest-winners’ songs, then the contestants’ choices, then Clive Davis’ choices. I think the show would have been much more exciting that way, but I’m not the producer…. As much as I am a David Cook fan, I think Archuleta did a better job with producing a 3-song series—that is, if he had anything to do with it. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he won. In fact, I wouldn’t be upset about it at all. I’ve enjoyed him throughout the competition. I’m just wondering if he can provide enough variety for an entire album. In the end, I suppose it doesn’t matter. Both will have contracts. Both will release albums, and I will likely buy one of them.

David Cook mentioned something interesting that really makes me think he gets it. At the beginning when they were chatting with Secrest, he said something like, “At this point it isn’t really a competition any more. I’m just going to go out there and have fun.” Too true, too true.

ibeatyou.com

What is this all about? I stumbled upon this when I was piddling around on youtube. If you know, fill me in. Thanks.

Swimsuit Shopping Update

Vacation is right around the corner, so I went hunting for a new swimsuit today. I started at a couple of the department stores in the mall and wanted to scream. Some of these things are dang fugly. Who puts rope on a bathing suit? Then I headed for Dicks Sporting Goods, where I knew I should have gone first. I found some separates that I liked and bonus(!) they were on sale. In fact, I think all of their suits are on sale right now, so get out there if you are looking. So I bought them as a Plan B in case my online order doesn’t work out. What can I say? I like to be prepared.

Here are some new things I discovered today.

• Nike suits are snug. I usually bring more than one size with me to the fitting room so that I don’t have to keep running back and forth. I tried on the bigger of the two sizes first and it was a tight fit.
• Beware of tops that tie in the back. Depending on the tie, it can be uncomfortable to lean back on one of these big knots on the back of your suit. I actually bought one of these today, but I like going in the water more than I like laying there in the sun for hours on end.
• A patterned top and a black bottom sometimes looks really, really weird together. All black is not the best either. Perhaps up against the paleness, there is too much contrast. I don’t know.

I purchased a Lolë swimsuit yesterday online and it’s here already! The package was actually sitting on the porch when I got home! So, this 2-piece is super cute. I really like the top and it fits well. The bottom, however, is a little snug. I haven’t decided if I will keep it or not. It’s one of those things where I know that bathing suits get a little loose once you go in the water, so maybe the snugness isn’t such a bad thing. But then again, I don’t want to cut off my circulation or look like I’m oozing out it either. I might have to initiate Plan B.

If you buy a suit from this brand, I’ll let you know that the top was my usual size and so was the bottom. That means, get your typical size up top and get a size up on the bottom… or reduce the size of your butt before you wear it.

Zappos.com – The Best, Best, Best!

I ordered a swimsuit from Zappos.com yesterday… No, wait… was it really yesterday?… Yeah, it was yesterday. It was yesterday afternoon around 2:00-3:00 I think. Sorry for my confusion. I just can’t believe it. When I got back to the house today around 3:00, there was a Zappos box already on my door step! I kid you not, people. It was amaaaazing.

If you ever need to order something, you should try Zappos first. If you get your order in by 1PM, Pacific and get the free shipping, odds are it could actually arrive the next day, even when they say it might take 4-5 business days. It’s like they have little magic elves at work.

So because of this, I can actually update you on my post from yesterday when I was talking about buying bathing suits! Go to the next post.

Swimwear Shopping

Men, in my opinion, have it easy when it comes to shopping for clothing. Their sizes are based on things like their waist measurement and their inseam. They have S, M, L, XL, XXL, etc. Their dress shirts are based on their neck and arm measurements. Cake.

I suppose with women that’s not the case because our body shapes change a lot. For the most part, men are just kind of… there. They may gain a belly at some point but their belts just seem to go under that.

Now, about the topic at hand, bathing suits. Guys, am I oversimplifying this by saying that you just pick one that looks good, the drawstring fits, and it’s over? Maybe your significant other says, “You look hot,” in it before you buy it, but that’s it, right?

For gals, it is so freakin’ hard to find a bathing suit. You’ve got to make sure your rear isn’t hanging out, unless that’s your goal. You have to get the girls in check, unless it’s your goal to have them, um, unsupported. You worry about your “problem areas” and try to find something that will disguise them. Oh, and then there’s the cost. Why in the hail do the decent bathing suits cost almost $100? Seriously, besides underwear, bathing suits are the smallest article of clothing you can buy.

So, here I am, the wise sage of bathing suits, about to provide you with helpful information. I hope. Let me first say that I have purchased nearly every bathing suit style imaginable: the 1-piece, the high-waisted bikini, the bandeau bikini, the boyshorts with sporty looking top, the boyshorts with halter, the tankini, the tankini with swim skirt, the tankini halter, and the tankini with spaghetti straps. The only one that has not made its way into my collection is the triangle top string bikini, and most of these suits are no longer in service.

The styles I wouldn’t recommend to anyone are the swim skirt and the bandeau. First, the swim skirt. Yes, yes, you probably want to hide your caboose or whatever, but if you want to go in the water, you don’t want this type of suit. Even if you don’t go in the water, you don’t want this suit. About the water, imagine wearing a soaking wet towel around your waist that just kind of slaps against your skin constantly. It’s heavy. It’s wet. It’s clingy. That’s what it’s like with these swim skirts. It’s not fun. They hold water and they are a literal drag. Dry, on the other hand, they are semi-scandalous. It’s like a peep show but not. I mean, everyone knows its a bathing suit, but when the underwear part shows itself, which it will, it looks like you are giving the world a glimpse at something they shouldn’t see because no one in their right mind, except Britney Spears, would wear a skirt that short. You’re going to make fellow beach-goers feel like perverts, not that they are intentionally looking at your rear, but good gracious, there’s a lot of skin out there on the beach and at the pool and someone is going to see you at some point. It’s like wearing a skort. You still have to sit like a lady even though you know they are shorts that look like a skirt, otherwise people with think ill of you.

About the bandeau. Hmmm. How do I say this? Uh… Busty gals need not apply. They are not attractive on you and they could cause exposure problems (unless there is a strap somewhere to keep it secure). Even for those not-so-busty, it’s just not the best look for a lot of people. It can be hard to pull off.

A few years ago a remarkable thing happened. Someone came to their senses and started selling bathing suit pieces separately. Whoever came up with that is a dang genius. I would highly recommend these types of bathing suits. We are all different sizes and to be perfectly proportioned is nearly impossible, so why not buy the pieces you want in the size you want?

Here’s my take on separates:

• The boyshorts – these are tough to pull off. I think you might actually have to have smaller hips to make them look right on you.
• The halter – this seems to be the big trend lately. You need to have something up top to make this look good. Beware of water activities where you might be face down on a board of some sort. You could have a wardrobe malfunction.
• The hipster shorts – I’ve never had these but from what I’ve tried on, they are similar to a boyshort but lower cut in the front and back. Beware of crack.
• The tank – these are fine. Just get the kind of straps you need. Some of us look better in thin straps than the thicker ones. Also, I would advise not getting a loose fit, especially if you intend on going in the water. The bottom will float upward, and, well, you can figure out the rest of the consequences there.
• The string bikini bottom – Never bought this type, but watch out for string slippage when the suit gets wet. Re-tie after being in the water, just in case.

With so many types of suits that come and gone in my collection, it’s no surprise that I have been all over creation to buy them.

First, the places to avoid:

• Ross Dress for Less – the wackos there actually fasten 2-piece suits together with those big beige tags or with the plastic fasteners they use on price tags. Lame and lame. I understand wanting to keep the pieces together, but how are you supposed to try the things on? Lame.
• Other places of this caliber like TJ Maxx and Marshall’s (though I have had good luck at Marshall’s) – it’s really hard to find pieces that match and the selection can be limited.

Decent places to go or visit with decent prices:

• Old Navy – some pieces are not “classics” in that they are kind of trendy and will probably only be fashionable for one season. If you haven’t bought something at Old Navy in a while, don’t start with a swimsuit.
• Kohl’s – good selection and some nice Nike suits. Good for women and juniors.
• Dick’s Sporting Goods – smaller selection, activewear swimsuits, good prices.
• Newport News – not sure about the quality, but it seems like a good selection. Different types of tops and bottoms for different body types.
• Zappos.com – You can change your search results by price. Free shipping both ways! So if you’re weary about buying a suit online, at least there is an easy return for you. I usually buy shoes this way and it’s awesome! I’m expecting a suit in the next day or two.

Good luck and happy shopping.