Virginia Breeze

Was Neil Diamond reading from a script? It sure looked like it to me. He really should get into politics as long as he can take his script writer with him.

Jason Castro sang Forever In Blue Jeans and I was not impressed. But someone else thought it was a solid performance if not memorable.

Solid as in solid waste maybe.

He then sang September Morn and hit a few really bad notes. Someone I know thought that he or she had a “few peaks into something almost brilliant”. Were there fireworks last night? I must have missed them. I went to bed early.

David Cook sang I’m Alive and had the right attitude for the song. But he didn’t sound great last night. I didn’t build the song and he looked like hell. Another off night for the Davidmeister.

He also sang All I Really Need Is You and it was a mixed bag. The softer parts were terrific but the rocking part was again too screamy. His voice had too much grit (pollen maybe?). We continue to wait for a great rejoinder to Billy Jean.

Brooke White sang I’m A Believer and it was light and fun but forgettable and slightly irritating. I’m sure I have seen something like this in one of those campfire scenes in a horror movie right before the devil jumps out of the weeds.

For her second song she did I Am, I Said and it was much better. It was perhaps her finest performance. The judges liked it. I liked it. And America probably liked it. Maybe it saved her from going home this week. Who else might go home instead?

Jason comes to mind.

David A sang Sweet Caroline and found an inventive way to get around the extremely low range. It was an excellent interpretation and his voice is sterling.

He then sang America and got off to a shaky start. But when he hit the bridge it was great and his own ending wrapped up a too short song with all the emotion of a full blown rendition.

And finally Syesha Mercado sang Hello Again. It was a great arrangement and sounded a bit like a contemporary ballad. Her voice sounded great and she had a beautiful smile throughout looking very relaxed and confident. What did Sir Lloyd do to this girl? She is a different performer and hopefully will be in the final three.

Syesha is turning into a wonderful story. I hope she makes it.

She also sang Thank The Lord For The Nighttime and once again looked and sounded great. It was a fabulous song choice and she put a lot of newfound personality into it.

Syesha wins tonight! David A is a close second.

We will see what happens.

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My new NewsLink Briefs post is up and I hope you will take a look at it.

This can be a wonderful time of year in Virginia. It got down in the 30’s last night and when I went out about six am the cold air hit my face and woke me up. It felt really good and I’m sure I was a better driver too. There’s a couple who walk their dog about that time and they are all over the road. They let their dog run free in people’s yards under cover of darkness. He left me a present one morning and I in turn got it all over the floor mat in my car.

So when i see them talking and laughing in the early morning light I want to run them over. Then I would use the “I was still asleep and didn’t see them defense”. But I couldn’t do it this morning.

The cold air keeps the pollen count down a bit too. And this helps me breathe. I’m hoping it will help me hear too if it continues because I can’t hear out of my left ear. I went to see my doctor last Monday about some med refills. And at the beginning of the visit I told him I couldn’t hear. So he refilled my meds and then got up to leave before he remembered “Oh, I almost forgot. You wanted me to look at your ear”.

Actually I preferred that he look IN my ear and find out if there is something growing in there. So he looked in there and this is what he said. “There’s no wax in there. It must be lower down. Alright. I’ll see you in three months.”

And he walked out the door.

I love my doctor. I really do. Because he doesn’t get nervous or agitated the way I do sometimes. And I’m counting on this fact in the future.

Because if he ever sees something growing anywhere inside me that shouldn’t be there I don’t want to know about it. I have heard too much about chemotherapy, for example, to consider having it.

I want him to just smile, put his little light thing away and walk out the door. “See you in a few months big guy.” That’s what I want.

And he may see me in a couple of months too. Because I plan to invite him to my funeral.

But hopefully nothing like that will happen. And if the cold air sticks around maybe I will be able to hear again soon. Because I am missing things. And I am starting to understand the predicament of some of our older relatives who can’t hear much out of both ears.

You start to feel strangely isolated even when you are sitting around with a bunch of people watching television and you can’t hear them or the joker on the television. And yes I am referring to the AI host Ryan Seacrest.

I asked my wife to look in there and see if she could see anything.

She did. And then she said something that hurt my feelings.

She said she could see the picture hanging on the wall on the other side of the room.

When are they going to have an American Idol type show for amateur comedians? Because we have the winner right here in Richmond, Virginia. She’s probably as funny as Edgar Bergman.

Just make sure she doesn’t forget her dummy when she packs up and heads for Hollywood.

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