The Levi Smith Band performs at The Park in Falfurrias, TX @ 12:00 PM!

04/29/05 (02:30 AM) -- Tired  [Music: "Go With God" by The Levi Smith Band  I  Mood: Tired]

Happy Birthday Michael Hoffstadt!

04/28/05 (02:30 AM) -- Go to Justin's show today!  [Music: "Close Enough" by The Levi Smith Band  I  Mood: Sleepy]

The Levi Smith Band performs at The Lizard Lounge (formerly Zulu's) in Corpus Christi, TX @ 10:30 PM!

Okay, so I am EXTREMELY tired right now, so I am going to try to keep this post a little short since sleep is definitely calling my name at this very second.  It's been a very long day, and today (Thursday) is going to be another one.  Anyway, let's get to a quick recap ...

So today started early with some stuff that had to get done.  I was really pressed for time because of the Texas Exes banquet.  But I was able to have a very productive mornin', before meetin' up with Justin and Larry for lunch.  It was sort of a pseudo reunion meeting.  We got some good stuff done with that, and then dished for a little while.  I finished up with that, and then had to haul to get ready for the banquet and pick up a few silent auction items from a place.  As it was, I almost didn't make it there before 5:00 PM.  I got there just in time though to grab the stuff and then get across the street to the Texas Exes event.

The banquet was a great success.  Coach Jody Conradt who was our Guest Speaker did an excellent job of speaking at our show.  She is truly a living legend.  It was my distinct honor to introduce her to our members.  We also had coaches from the local university, and school district representatives on hand.  Everyone did a great job of speaking and all were extremely nice and pleasant.  Like I said, the banquet turned out great.

Anyway, so I returned and caught the Idol results on TiVo.  I can't say I was too surprised at Constantine's departure.  I actually thought he should go, I just didn't think it would actually happen.  I was pulling for him, but I guess his time came.  I do find it funny though how he coincidentally gets voted off on the show right after a story surfaces about his band at home getting record deal.  Yet more fuel to my theory that the show is rigged.  Oh well, I'm sure he'll do fine since he has fans.  I'm quite surprised that Scott is still in it though.  As long as Carrie stays in front, I'm cool.

After that I talked to a few peeps real quick, and then got back to workin' on stuff.  I'm just finishing right now, so I am tired as heck.  And seeing how I gotta wake up in a few, I'm going to end this here.  No matter how used to no sleep that I become, it still stinks to get so little.  Today (Thursday) is another long day in The C.C.. The weekend should be cool before havin' to return to campus next week.  Anyway, since I am dozing right now, I'll talk to y'all tomorrow.  Bye y'all.  -- Michael

04/27/05 (08:30 AM) -- Idol sucked  [Music: "Rock Your Body" by Justin Timberlake  I  Mood: Hungry]

Corpus Christi Texas Exes Annual Spring Scholarship Banquet at the Solomon P. Ortiz Center in Corpus Christi, TX @ 6:00 PM!

So last night Kel calls and we dished for a little while about the normal stuff.  She asked me what I thought about the American Idol ep and I hadn't seen it yet because I TiVo'd it.  The only thing she said was that it was a very disappointing episode.  Well, I just finished watching it right now, and disappointing isn't even the word for it.  That show completely sucked ass.  I couldn't believe how horrible all the performances were ... yes, ALL of them!

As much as I love Carrie Underwood, what they hell was she thinking last night?  The song choice was okay, but I agree with Randy ... she was unusually just a tad off pitch.  And a couple of weeks ago I was ravin' on her "Love Is A Battlefield" performance.  I was even proud of the fact that she incorporated the little shoulder dance move from the video in her performance.  Well, after watching last night's show, I realized that that move is her only move.  She did it again last night ... in a Martina McBride country song!  That killed me.  The girl has so much talent, but she just doesn't have an ounce of stage presence.  I still think she is the one to beat, and stage presence can be learned, but still.  That was one of her worst performances.

A few years ago, during the whole Major Applewhite/Chris Simms quarterback debate at Texas, people used to say, "If Major has Chris' physical tools, or if Chris had Major's brain ... it would make the quintessential quarterback.".  That's what I think about when I think about Carrie and Constantine.  He's not the best singer by far, but I will give him the fact that he always performs well, in terms of charisma and stage awareness.  When I heard the first lick of his song choice, Nickelback's "How You Remind Me", I thought it was a great song choice.  I thought that for about two seconds, exactly the time from the the first guitar lick was played to when Constantine opened his mouth.  He couldn't have delivered a worse vocal performance than if he grew boobs and changed his name to Mikalah Gordon.  I don't know how to describe it.  It was totally off.  I was disappointed because it was such a shitty rendition of a good song.  He's capable of better.

Okay, so I Vonzell as a person.  She seems genuinely nice with a great personality.  She does.  And I give her credit; she's got guts for taking on the songs that she chooses.  But seriously ... Christina Aguilera?  Whore or not ... Christina Aguilera can blow!  (no pun intended J )  Vonzell, or anyone else for that matter, has no business singing an Aguilera song.  And I don't know what the hell Randy was smoking or Paula was drinking, but that performance sucked shit.  Guts only counts for so much.  She can't hit the notes Christina can.  She doesn't have the vocal range.  The only thing she accomplished was showing how mediocre she really is.  When someone tries to sing an extremely difficult song by an extremely talented singer such as Aguilera (or a pre-drugs Whitney), it only shows how inferior they really are.  VERY bad song choice for Vonzell that was.  She needs to stick to easier song.

Anthony did exactly what I expected him to do, he sang another chick song.  And it wasn't all that great.  In fact, it was like a bad impression of Clay Aiken.  Clay's a chick anyway, right?  By the way, I wonder if the producers were trying to be funny by having Clay in the audience, given that they have a Clay Jr. in the competition.

Bo did okay, but even he was slightly off.  And who the hell dresses him?  A modern Alabaman rocker wearin' Lenny Kravitz glasses, a 1969 pot smokin' Woodstock shirt, and singing Gavin DeGraw?  Talk about a crazy combination!  I thought that was kinda weird.  Since the others sucked so bad though, it made him seem all the better.

And then there was Scotty "The Body".  First off, I wonder if he knows the fact that calling him "The Body" isn't a compliment.  If he does, then he has a good sense of humor and I like that.  Poor poor Scott though.  I really was pulling for him.  But it's like he knew he was going home.  His song was horrible ... I mean he was singing about wanting to dance with his dad again?!?!?!  And he was definitely off key.  He really needed to hit one out of the park in order to stay in the competition for yet another week, and instead he came up with a complete wiff.

In all honesty, based on last night's performances, the bottom three in my opinion should be Scott, Constantine, and Vonzell.  And to borrow a phrase from Simon, "if I'm being honest", Constantine should go home for his awful rendition of Nickelback.  However, we all know that isn't going to happen.  So I am going with the safe bet.  My prediction:  Bottom three - Vonzell, Anthony, and Scott ... with "The Body" succumbing to the inevitable.  Bye Scott!  -- Michael

04/26/05 (04:00 AM) -- Show Tonight!  [Music: "I'd Like To Think So" by The Levi Smith Band  I  Mood: Mellow]

The Levi Smith Band performs at The Station in Corpus Christi, TX @ 9:00 PM!

Tonight -- The Levi Smith Band performs at The Station in Corpus Christi, TX @ 9:00 PM.  The Station is located downtown on Chaparral St. a door or two down from Dr. Rockets.  Get there early because they usually pack the place.  All ages welcome.

Thursday, April 28th, 2005 --The Levi Smith Band performs at The Lizard Lounge in Corpus Christi, TX @ 10:30 PM.  The Lizard Lounge (formerly Zulu's Rugby Bar) is located downtown on Chaparral St.  This show is 21 and up.

... So yesterday (Monday) was a pretty uneventful day.  I had to be on campus, so I got all that done, and then got the hell outta there and headed out.  I'm not looking forward to the next month of stuff to come.  I spent a little bit of time crunching numbers for the reunion also.  And to be honest, it is starting to give me a headache.  There are just so many scenarios to consider, it becomes exhausting after a while.  It's moving though, so as stuff gets done I'll release the information accordingly.  Reunion Committee people: I am completely caught up with everyone's correspondence.  If you feel that you are not being involved, that is not on me.  If someone doesn't respond to e-mails, return phone calls, and/or get in contact, I can't help that.  So if y'all have any questions, you know what do to.  Three suggestions are in the preceding sentence.

That's pretty much it for me.  Today is going to be very long.  Again, everyone should check out the shows this week.  I'll write more tomorrow.  Talk to y'all then.  -- Michael

04/25/05 (07:30 AM) -- "Website? ... Website?"  [Music: "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynard Skynard  I  Mood: Normal]

Mornin' y'all.  Hope everyone is doing well this Monday mornin'.  Monday's always suck, especially after a good weekend because it is an indication that said weekend is over.  And this weekend was pretty fun too.  Let's start with Friday ...

So Friday turned out to be a lot of fun.  The day itself was good and productive.  After everything was done, I met up with Kel, Laura, Jimmy, Eddie, Thomas, Justin, and his friend and we all went to some new swanky joint.  It was actually pretty cool, slightly better than I was expecting.  At the very least, it's a good try at pretending the ambiance is more that it actually is.  For instance, as nice and new wave as the place was, there was still room for Boller to boast his now classic line, "This is nice.  We have a completely unobstructed view of Arby's and KFC.".  I think that line speaks for itself.  It was actually the first of many memorable lines from the night.  The best part of being there though, was definitely getting sprayed with Eddie's drink by Jimmy's wayward air punch.  I mean really, who doesn't like a vodka soaked crotch?  Yup, just what I thought.  No hands went up. 

It wasn't until Friday night until I started feelin' cool again from the night before.  I know, but hey ... it was fun.  We all stayed at that place, and then went to another establishment, which was quite fun (riiiight).  Let's see, it was so packed I felt like a patron at an Asian water park.  If you don't know what I am talking about, then you obviously have never been.  There was some dude that smelled like ass that kept walking around near us.  You'd figure one of his friends would tell him something, but nope.  The drunk girl falling on the dance floor was funny, yet sad at the same time.  And oh yeah, the fight we almost got into ... how can I forget that one.  Needless to say, we didn't stay too long.

So we all went to Kristal's party which turned out to be a good decision because it was a lot of fun.  Honestly, I hadn't had that much fun in a while.  I was laughing at so many things.  Boller killing the chair, and sitting on it again and eating it, after he himself killed it in the first place was pretty funny.  Then watching the countless others that sat and fell was pretty good too.  Breaking Christmas lights, spitting up jello on shirts, random stomach punches, attempted Twister, crazy picture taking, all make for a great night.  Again, most fun I have had in a long time.  Life can be so serious at times.  It's definitely good to have nights like those to remember to just have fun.

Things I learned from Friday night:

-- Carroll 95ers visit this site to learn info on their reunion
-- Parent(s) of friends also visit the website ("Hello" to the parent that I am referring to!)
-- Way more people know about this site than I imagined (many many lurkers)
-- One person in particular who thinks they are cool is actually just a big dumbass creepy dork
-- One person will ALWAYS flake, no matter what
-- "Sweet Home Alabama" is still and will always be a badass song

Classic lines from Friday night:

-- "This is nice.  We have a completely unobstructed view of Arby's and KFC."
-- "I said I would only have one, but this is my tenth."
-- "Website? ... Website?"
-- "Are you kidding me?"
-- "Would you like a menthol?"

What can I say, it was a great time.  Saturday was spent watching the NFL Draft, and finishing some work, and watching the NBA playoffs.  I was happy with Dallas' draft.  I think Cedric Benson is going to kick ass in Chicago.  I can't wait for football season!  Yesterday was a day of catch up for me.  I got stuff done, and then got ready for the week ahead.  So that was my weekend, much needed time spent havin' fun with friends.  Who can beat that?

Okay, so that's it for today.  Y'all have a great day.  I gotta get movin', so I'll talk to y'all later.  -- Michael

04/24/05 (11:50 PM) -- Tired  [Music: "Time After Time" by matchbox twenty  I  Mood: Tired]

Happy Birthday Cindy Villarreal!

Happy Birthday Rebecca (Rios) Solis!

04/23/05 (06:00 PM) -- NFL Draft Day  [Music: "Lonely No More" by Rob Thomas  I  Mood: Normal] 

Happy Birthday Chad Allen!

Happy Birthday Dana Nunn!

Happy Birthday Aisha Zitooni!

The Levi Smith Band performs at Daybreak on 82nd (Levi Solo) in Lubbock, TX @ 8:00 PM!

04/22/05 (03:30 AM) -- Sleep much?  [Music: "Close Enough" by The Levi Smith Band  I  Mood: Hungry]

The Levi Smith Band performs at Sugar Brown's in Lubbock, TX @ 8:00 PM!

What up everyone?  Okay, so my slightly easier week is continuing very nicely in The C.C..  Yesterday was pretty decent.  I spent the day doing some readin', respondin' to e-mails, finishin' some reports and then e-malin' them in, and paperwork, paperwork, paperwork.  I love being able to telecommute.  After all that I went to a meetin' with a possible location for our upcoming reunion.  Yup, that's right ... I am workin' hard and sacrificing time in order to make sure this reunion is done right.  It was actually pretty fun.  I finished up with them, and then headed out to the Texas Exes event at the Surf Club.  That was cool.  The C.C. Texas Exes are slightly different than the Austin Texas Exes, but I kinda like that.  The peeps are pretty cool.  I totally didn't expect to spend tons of time there, seeing how I needed to finish some readin', and of course good TV is on Thursday such as The O.C. and ER.  Sure enough though, I ended up havin' a good time with the people I was with, and I also saw a few peeps that I hadn't seen in a long time.  I hope they join the Classmates section soon!  It was great seein' y'all!  Hope to be at the shindig tonight.

So anyway, that's pretty much it for me.  It's like 3:00 somethin' right now, and I need to grab somethin' to eat so I don't feel it in a few hours.  I'm not sure how productive I'll be in my 8:00 AM meetin' that I have to log in for in a few hours, but hopefully I'll be cool.  Just wanted to grab a minute and chat with y'all bitches real quick.  Hope everyone is havin' a great Friday, and hope everyone has a great weekend.  I have a few more days of the good stuff before next week returns to the monotony.  Reunion committee, I'll be in touch later this afternoon.  Talk to everyone again soon.  -- Michael

04/21/05 (01:00 AM) -- TiVo baby ... Tivo!  [Music: "California" by Phantom Planet  I  Mood: Relaxed]

April Thirsty Thursday @ 6:00 PM: Corpus Christi Texas Exes at the Executive Surf Club; Austin Area Texas Exes at Ringers Sports Bar!

Hey y'all.  Hope everyone is havin' a good day.  Okay, so I was wrong with my Idol prediction for this week.  I must admit, I didn't see that one coming.  Don't get me wrong, I am happy that Scott didn't get kicked off yet.  I know he isn't the greatest, but I still like him because he is funny.  So from that standpoint, I was happy to see him hang around another week.  I thought Vonzell would be in the bottom three, but apparently I have underestimated her fans.  I didn't quite expect Scott to be with Gay & Gayer in the low three.  And of all three, Anwar went home.  Pretty surprising to me.  Oh well, at least now he can go buy more open shirts.  It should be interesting when it seems like the bottom three will probably be Scott, Anthony, and Vonzell.  I think it's a safe bet that Carrie, Bo, and Constantine will be the top 3.  Constantine, I like him too, but who knew he would get this far?  I still can't believe I actually like that show.

My TiVo will be working overtime tonight as it is Thursday.  Hopefully the shows will be good.  Too bad I will have crap to do tonight.  Oh well, I'll catch up with the shows probably during the weekend.  I'll tellin' y'all ... TiVo baby ... TiVo!  Okay, this is it for now.  I'll try to write a bit more when I have some time.  Now back to knocking out a few more e-mails.  I am almost done with responding to all of them!  Yes!  -- Michael

04/20/05 (12:30 AM) -- Strike Two !  [Music: "I Love LA" by Randy Newman  I  Mood: Sleepy]

Dude Larry, there showing Naked Gun right now on HBO Comedy (hence the song I am listening to).  I'll explain the inside joke ...

So yeah, today was such a long day, but it was a ton of fun.  This week is actually a little nice since it's kinda a free week for me.  It will all pick up again next week, but I am enjoying the 'laxed nature.  That being said, I am using the open parts of this week trying to catch up on reading, along with devoting time to things like responding to the tons of e-mail I am backed up on, working on reunion stuff, website stuff, and Exes stuff.  Even though the week is nice, the time still gets filled with other work.  Oh well.

So last night (Tuesday) was SO much fun!  After spending the day with the above mentioned tasks, I caught up with Gabe for a while.  His schedule is also clear this week, so it was great to hang out.  He and I met up with Larry and we al went to a game at night.  The game was great.  I saw a ton of people too.  Namely though, Larry and I saw fellow "athena brat" Rod.  I literally haven't seen Rod in forever.  He happened to be sitting right next to us, so the bunch of us knocked a few back and had a blast.

Larry and I kept quoting lines and cracking jokes the whole time.  And for some reason, Naked Gun seemed to be the movie of choice, primarily because of the baseball scenes.  So it's no wonder I am so excited that it is on tv right now!  Such luck!  I love this movie.  "Steeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrike TWO!  TWO!  Hey ... hey ... hey ... hey!"  Best line (and dance) of the movie!  Y'all must know what I am talking about.

So yeah, I got home and watched the Tivo'd shows.  I'm telling you ... I am not convinced that American Idol is fuckin' rigged.  I'm not sure if they actually predetermine the winner or anything.  But I am damn positive they toy with each episode.  Take this episode for instance, which was 70's dance theme (talk about a snooze-fest).  I mean, I like 70's dance as much as the next guy ... but come on!  It was almost as bad as Broadway night a few weeks back.  Anyway, Bo Bice is in the bottom two last week.  So this week, he goes last in the order, essentially headlining the show.  And how ironic is it that he just happens to get the ravest reviews of all the peeps this week?  Also, his song wasn't even a dance song.  It was totally a rock song from the 70's, which of course fits his style of singing.  Seriously, there is no way that song was dance!  I think they put Bo in the bottom two last week for drama's sake, and then headline him the next week hand feeding him the best song possible for his style of music.  I smell a total fix.  I think they do shit like that on purpose.

And speaking of smelling things ... I bet Anthony Federov wouldn't mind sniffin' a little butt crack if you know what I mean.  It's one thing (a bad thing) to sing a George Michael song, but it's totally another to dance like him ... when your not singing his song ... during a decade (70's) theme that had nothing to do with him.  He is becoming more and more GM as each week goes by.  I wouldn't be surprised if he sports a five o'clock shadow next week.  And we all know how the George Michael story ends.  Sorry Anthony, but I see sodomy in your future.  Start waxin' up now so it doesn't hurt.  And don't go picking up any undercover cops either.  Learn from your boyfriend on that one.

I wish Anthony goes tonight, but my prediction is:  Bottom three - Scott, Vonzell, and Anwar ... with Scotty the bigass body going home.  Sucks too because I actually liked Scott.

So does anyone watch The Amazing Race?  I didn't think so.  I've never watched it before, but Kelly got me hooked on that show this season.  I also wanted to tune in because of Rob & Amber from Survivor who are now on that show.  CBS knew what the hell they were doing in casting Rob & "Ambuh" (as pronounced through Rob's thick ass Boston accent) because they are the show!  I absolutely LOVE those two and how they play the game and stay one step ahead of everyone else.  LOVE IT!!!  This ep was so funny.  Seeing Rob drag Amber from the ledge and haul ass literally pushing the other team to the mat ... brilliant.  When Meredith yelled to Gretchen, "GET OVER HERE", funny stuff.  Probably the most funny was Amber's camel stopping literally one step from the finish line just to turn around and go the other way.  That was so fuckin' funny.  Those camels dude, crazy ass creatures they are.

And I have been all over, but those little make-shift motorized Indian rickshaws are hilarious.  I have never seen transportation like that before.  It was all funny as hell.  The only thing I didn't like was how they made it so dramatic when what's-her-face shaved her head for the fast forward.  I'm not trying to be an ass here, but that wasn't even her hair!  It was a damn weave!  The woman has hair down to her butt, but I bet no more than an inch or two was actually hers!  And they made it look like it was such a big deal.  News flash, you can get another damn hair piece woman!  Odds are you probably already have a few extras at home in the first place!  Reality shows, this one in particular, definitely have a flare for the dramatic.  I can't wait to see Rob & Amber hopefully kick ass again next week.

Okay, so all the peeps that say my posts aren't long enough as of recent, there you go.  I'm done now dudes.  Talk to y'all tomorrow.  --  Michael

04/19/05 (05:00 AM) -- Classmates Updates  [Music: "Lonely No More" by Rob Thomas  I  Mood: Tired]

Hey y'all.  I was gone for a few days, but I am back now.  I hope everyone had a good weekend.  Let's dive right into this post...

Obviously anyone can update their Classmates information at any time.  However, I am specifically speaking to my fellow Carroll 96ers for a second.  Please everyone who is reading this take the brief time to update your information in the Classmates section.  All you have to do is fill out the form with your most current information that you would like to be posted.  The most important thing though, is to please fill out the preferred mailing address information.  Even if you don't need to update your listing, even if you think I already have your current mailing address information, please fill it out anyway.  As the reunion planning continues to move forward, it is imperative for us to have current mailing addresses (and e-mail addresses) for everyone.  So it would be great if y'all could, at the very least, fill out the newly added place regarding preferred mailing addresses for reunion purposes.  If you want to receive all the future mailings about the Carroll 1996 reunion, you gotta provide your info.  Thanks in advance.

I have a ton of e-mails in my inbox to respond to.  I'll try to spend some time working on that this afternoon.  Thanks for all the letters, and I'll be in touch soon.  That's all for me for right now.  I'll talk to y'all again soon.  Bye y'all!  -- Michael

04/18/05 (12:00 AM) -- Gone  [Music: "Gone" by *NSYNC  I  Mood: Gone]

Gone.

04/17/05 (12:00 AM) -- Gone  [Music: "Gone" by *NSYNC  I  Mood: Gone]

Gone.

04/16/05 (12:00 AM) -- Gone  [Music: "Gone" by *NSYNC  I  Mood: Gone]

The Levi Smith Band performs at The Bean Counter in Abilene, TX @ 8:00 PM!

04/15/05 (07:00 AM) -- Laura Vasquez  [Music: "Gone Too Soon" by Michael Jackson  I  Mood: Hungry]

Hey y'all.  I wish I was writing to y'all with some better things to say, but unfortunately I received some very bad news yesterday.  Laura Vasquez, a fellow "athena brat" who went to Windsor Park, Baker, Carroll, and Texas passed away Tuesday.  It was pretty sad because she was a very nice person and very very young to have passed on.  To my knowledge, that makes 4 people from Carroll 1996 (Charles, Daryl, Jeanette, and Laura) that are no longer with us.  I hope I am not missing anyone's name.  It's a pretty sobering fact.  I sincerely hope that that list doesn't grow in number any time soon.  Laura's information and obituary, as well as a link to her Message Board thread, can be found in the Classmates section.  My best goes out to her family and close friends.

It seems pretty trivial to write about other things after reporting the sad news or Laura's death.  So I'll just leave my post as such in respect to her.  I hope everyone out there is doing well.  Have a good day and enjoy y'alls weekend.  I'm out for a little while, so I'll talk to y'all later.  -- Michael

04/14/05 (01:00 AM) -- Nadia's outta here!  [Music: "Lonely No More" by Rob Thomas  I  Mood: Tired]

The Levi Smith Band performs at University Baptist Church in Abilene, TX @ 8:00 PM!

Normally, I am not the type to say this.  But since I got 12, count 'em 12, e-mails yesterday saying I was crazy for thinking Nadia Turner would get voted off, I must do it ... I TOLD Y'ALL SO!!!  Did I not call that or what?  I knew her and Scott would be in the bottom three.  And, honestly ... no really I swear ... I was (thumb & fore finger barely apart) THIS close to picking Bo in the bottom three instead of my pick of Anthony.  No, I didn't think Bo deserved to be in it.  And I still stand by my pick of he losing to Carrie in the finals.  But I absolutely agree with Simon regarding Bo's performance Tuesday night.  Actually, I agree with most everything Simon says.  Anyway, I thought Bo suited "Free Bird" very well.  That's an anthem!  It's a great song and he did it justice.  The problem with it though is he has to remember his demographic that he should be singing to, should he want to win of course.  Let me explain...

I love "Free Bird".  In fact I love anything Lynard Skynard.  The thing is though, most of the peeps voting for him are probably young chicks.  And I just don't think most younger females like, if they even know, that song.  He couldn't do anything about the year he was born in.  But there are better rock songs from 1975, that are more well known and still more commercially appealing to the younger generation than "Free Bird".  Case in point, Constantine couldn't have picked a better song.  Of course he had to nail it, but he did.  The thing about "Bohemian Rhapsody" is that it not only was big in '75, but it also had a HUGE comeback in the early 90's when it was in Wayne's World.  Seriously, who doesn't remember jammin' to Queen at City Skates way back in the day?  Some of the younger people weren't around in the 70's, but they remember MTV playin' that song 24/7 in the early 90's.  "Free Bird" barely had a second or two in Forrest Gump right when Jenny was going to jump from hotel balcony when she was coked up.  (That was a perfect spot for that song though!)  Bo's great, but he has to remember who is voting for him.  He's gotta pick better songs.

The bright spot of the day was how many people came out of the American Idol closet and admitted to me they too like the show!  Funny Stuff.  Glad I can give y'all the confidence to admit it!  Anyway, we'll see how next week goes.  I'm curious of the theme.  One thing's for sure though, Carrie will still kick ass!  -- Michael

04/13/05 (02:00 AM) -- American Idol  [Music: "Love Is A Battlefield" by Carrie Underwood  I  Mood: Rockin']

Happy 3rd Anniversary Karen (Holst) & Jason Bragg!

(This post is dedicated to Kelly!  J  )  Okay, so I'll admit it.  It's time to spit the truth.  I actually like American Idol.  It's a guilty pleasure of mine.  And judging by the fact that it is the number one show this season (again), I am not alone in liking it.  No, that doesn't mean I am freakin' gay or anything.  A bunch of my friends, guy friends included, like the show also ... they just aren't secure enough like me to admit it!  I never watched season one.  I only saw the Ruben vs. Clay finale of season two.  Last year I tuned in for the bad singers at the beginning of the season.  I still think William Hung rocks by the way ("She Bangs ... She Bangs")!!!  This year I watched the first few eps for the same reason, to watch the bad singers.  I don't know what happened though.  I got hooked.  I can't explain why, but I did.  I used to hate the show, yet here I am now a fan of it.  I describe it like this ... when the singers are good, it's good music; when they are bad it is like watching a train wreck karaoke routine.  And who honestly doesn't like to laugh when someone gets up on stage and totally bites it (*cough* Mikalah Gordon *cough*)?  It's good TV!  For some reason, this season just seems to have good people to watch, in my opinion at least.  Anyway, I thought I would write about last night's show since I don't have anything else to write about ...

Honestly y'all, is there even any competition this season?  Carrie Underwood completely kicks ass!  Sure she shows about as much emotion as a wet paper bag, but she is pitch perfect every single week!  I thought she was just a great country singer, the next Martina McBride, if you will.  But when I heard her sing Heart's "Alone" three weeks ago ... I was floored.  It's not just country ... this chick can flat out sing ... anything!  Last night she belted the 80's Pat Benatar anthem "Love Is A Battlefield".  She killed it!  Not to mention the fact that she looked smokin' HOT her rocker getup.  She might not have as much stage presence as Bo Bice or even Nadia Turner for that matter.  But there is no substitution for pristine vocals when it comes to a singing competition, and she is the only one that has it.  Don't believe me?  Click here to see Carrie's performance.  (Must have QuickTime Plug-In loaded on your web browser to view.)  (I love TiVo and its technology!)

In my opinion, Kelly Clarkson has shed the American Idol label and is a well respected singer now.  She's got a boomin' voice, she can sing live, and she is selling well in the stores.  And let's face it, you need all three.  Justin Guar-whatever-the-hell could kinda carry a tune, but the Greatest Hits of My Ass sold more copies than his debut album.  Ashlee Simpson sells records, but I think we all know how bad she sings live.  Wait, she doesn't sing live!  Anyway, Carrie Underwood has got the goods.  The stage presence and emotion can be learned and will come in time.  Kelly Clarkson didn't have it all when she won, but she's got it now.  Mark my words ... it's not like it's a far fetched prediction anyway ... but Carrie Underwood will win this season, and will have a #1 debut record!  Book it!

I like Bo Bice a lot too, but I think he will lose to Carrie in the finals.  He's a good singer and a great performer.  He ripped the classic "Free Bird" tonight.  Seriously, he rocked that song.  But I just don't think he will have enough votes to win it all.  And besides Carrie, he's gotta start watching his back for Constantine Maroulis.  I don't think he is the best singer at all, but he is starting to really perform well, which will continue to translate into a lot of votes.  I liked his "Bohemian Rhapsody" tonight.  Queen is hard to cover!

Speaking of queens, I think Anwar is on that side of the fence.  Homeboy is gayer that the queen herself, Elton John!  Oh shut up!  I can say whatever the hell I want.  I can already hear at least one person out there bitchin' because I dared to be politically incorrect.  Please people!  I am as real as it gets, and don't give a damn whether or not people get pissed at my words.  It's my site.  I'm not purposely trying to offend anyone.  I'm just keepin' it real and bein' me.  So anyway, yeah ... why the hell does Anwar keep picking chick songs.  Deion Warwick?  Chaka Kahn?  I think he is trying to tell us something with his song choices.  I think he prefers teabags over fresh produce such as melons if y'all catch my drift.  Regardless though, he's a good singer, but I don't expect him to last more than two more weeks tops.

I like Scott because I like his story.  He isn't the best, and probably won't last long, but I like the fact that he has fun on stage.  Vonzell and Anthony are both less interesting than the rainbow bars and piercing "beeeeeeeeeeep" that comes on the TV when the channel sounds off for the night.  I like Vonzell's playful personality, but I also liked Mikalah's personality too ... and I think y'all know how that story ended.  Anthony just annoys me.  His Clay Aiken version 2.0 thing just isn't working for me.  And plus, he chose to sing a George Michael song a few weeks back.  'Nuff said.

My prediction for this week:  The bottom three will be Nadia, Scott, and Anthony ... with Nadia saying "bye bye".  Yup, I am predicting an upset.  I'm probably wrong.  But I just think the voters are getting tired of her porn-like over acting when she sings.  I know I am at least.  -- Michael

04/12/05 (02:00 AM) -- 13 wasted minutes  [Music: "Slowly Walk Away" by The Levi Smith Band  I  Mood: Tired]

Hey y'all.  Since I have been sitting here for like the last ten minutes literally staring at the screen having no idea what to write, I have decided to write simply about the fact that I literally have nothing interesting to write about this very minute.  Did that even make sense?  I think it did.  Anyway, I've sat here for three straight song and nothing has come out.  And it's too late to try and come up with something clever.  Plus, whenever  write it's usually something that is spur of the moment, something that I am feeling at that very moment.  I don't like "planning" what I am going to write because it never comes out quite as good.  Anyway, I've now wasted 13 minutes on this useless post, so I am going to end it now and talk to y'all later when I hopefully have something better to write about.  So until then ...  -- Michael

04/11/05 (04:00 PM) -- Tiger Woods = Amazing  [Music: "Close Enough" by The Levi Smith Band  I  Mood: Busy]

I don't have time to write anything special this afternoon.  To those in the reunion committee, an e-mail went out this afternoon, so please check it and respond.  Hope to hear from y'all soon.

So yesterday Tiger Woods totally kicked ass ... again.  I mean his shot making is just ridiculous.  Did y'all see his birdie chip on 16?  That was one of the best golf shots I have ever seen.  Considering what was on the line, and how things were at the time with Chris DeMarco having a close birdie putt while Tiger was literally off the green and sitting against the second cut ... his shot was amazing.  Chris should have tied the tournament with his shot, or even gone up by one had Tiger not gotten up and down from where he was.  But nope, Tiger sang his unbelievable shot, and it iced Chris into missing his.  And so they left with Tiger up by two.  Yeah yeah, there probably aren't many golf fans reading this.  But for those who are ... y'all know what I am talking about.  The guy is a badass ... like we didn't know that already!  -- Michael

04/10/05 (01:00 PM) -- Masters  [Music: "Signs" by Snoop Dogg feat. Justin Timberlake  I  Mood: Tired]

Hey y'all.  I don't have much to write about this afternoon.  The weekend had been pretty slow for me.  I've still been catching up on stuff since being sick.  I've been pretty productive also, which is very good.  Consequently though, I really haven't done much other than that.  I'm going to get back to finishing stuff right now, and then watch Tiger Woods win another Masters this afternoon.  He's back!  Anyway, time to end this one.  I'll talk to y'all later.  -- Michael

04/09/05 (12:00 AM) -- Amazing  [Music: "Amazed" by Lonestar  I  Mood: Normal]

Happy Birthday Kristina (Rodriguez) Douglas!

Liz Nelson's Wedding Day in Houston, TX!

The Levi Smith Band performs at J & B Coffee Co. in Lubbock, TX @ 9:30 PM!

So the funeral was pretty amazing to me.  To see all those people lining St. Peter's Square and all the surrounding streets, I can only imagine the atmosphere there this morning.  It was pretty surreal to see so many people paying attention to this event.  It was really touching to see all the people from Poland not only there in Rome, but all those who gathered in Poland to watch it together.  They should people all over the world gathering together to watch the event.  It was quite a site.

It was also pretty interesting to see so many world leaders gathered in the same place.  Seeing the Bushs and Clinton there, along side all the other Kings, Queens, Princes, Presidents, Prime Ministers, etc ... it was quite a site.  I mean, even countries at war with each other (Israel, Syria, etc.) ... their leaders were cordial with each other, shaking hands, kissing cheeks.  It was like for this one morning, differences were put aside in respect for this one man's memory.  Truly historic.  -- Michael

04/08/05 (02:00 AM) -- Farewell to The Pope  [Music: "Go With God" by The Levi Smith Band  I  Mood: Amazed] 

The Levi Smith Band performs at FBC Youth Annex Coffee House in Wichita Falls, TX @ 10:00 PM!

Technically, the Pope's funeral starts in about an hour, however I am already glued to the television.  I can't explain why I am so intrigued about this event.  I guess I just get how big and significant this world event is.  I honestly don't think many Americans do.  Make no mistake though, this is history in the making.  I've been lucky enough to say that I have been at certain big events when they happen.  I've also had the unfortunate luck of being in places with really bad things happen.  Nonetheless though, it's all history.  I even looked into flights to Rome this week because I wanted to be a part of this week.  To me, it's so cool to be able to say, regarding significant events, that "I was there".  When I checked though, literally everything was booked.  So that puts me in front of the tube watching everything.

Regardless of religious affiliation, it is so interesting to see so many people descending on Rome for this event.  The was about 4 million peeps that viewed the Pope's body this week.  The wait in line reached 24 hours long, and stretched over 3 miles in length.  Right now, about another 4 mil will be present for the funeral, not to mention the over 250 heads of state from around the world, and 1,500+ politicians and lawmakers from various countries.  Pope John Paul II had that much of an impact during his papacy.

Anyway, I hope I'm not the only one out there that truly gets what's taking place today.  I explained a few days ago that, in my opinion, this is the single biggest world event to happen in generations, certainly in our lifetime.  I'm going to grab a quick bite to eat, and then take in all that is happening.  I won't get any sleep tonight, but I'll be able to say that I watched the most watched television event in world history, and tuned in for when the most heads of state from around the world all convened in the same place.  In about an hour, literally the world will come to a halt and Rome, specifically Vatican City, will be the center of the universe.  It's a shame that some Americans, and probably some of y'all reading this, don't get the magnitude of this truly historic event.  I hope one day y'all will.  -- Michael

04/07/05 (01:00 AM) -- No Answers  [Music: "Vertigo" by U2  I  Mood: Tired]

Happy Birthday Kimberly Hinojosa!

The Levi Smith Band performs at University Baptist Church in Abilene, TX @ 7:00 PM!

Don't forget that tonight (or technically early Friday morning) at 3:00 AM CST is the Pope's funeral.  It will obviously be televised live on tons of channels.  It's history in the making.  I recommend watching it if y'all can, or TiVo-ing it to watch later.  Regardless of religious affiliation, it's a huge world event.

So dude, the good news is I got my TiVo box working again.  That's great news actually because TiVo kicks ass.  The bad news, is that last night on Lost they still didn't explain shit!  It still was a great episode though.  That show is so freakin' awesome!  Even when they keep the mystery going like that, the shows are still excellent.  I totally can't wait for the next few episodes, all leading up to the season finale.  I love it!

Okay, that's it for now because I need to get some rest.  Talk to y'all tomorrow.  Bye y'all.  -- Michael

04/06/05 (02:15 PM) -- Answers?  [Music: "Alone" by Carrie Underwood  I  Mood: Hungry]

I don't have much time to write anything special today, nor is there really any time to do so.  Just wanted to get on here while I am snackin' on lunch to say a quick "hello".

As behind as I am right now from being sick for like ever, I am pumped for tonight's episode of Lost, which is SUPPOSEDLY going to provide some damn answers to the tons of lingering questions about what the hell is going on on that island.  I can't help the fact that I am addicted to that show.  And as much as I hate the fact that they never explain shit, I can't help but still tune in every week to see what is going to happen next.  Hands down, Lost is my favorite new show of this season.  I love that show!

And so yeah, I have to stop everything at 7:00 PM tonight to watch it since my TiVo box isn't working correctly right now.  I have a love/hate relationship with TiVo.  When it works, it is the best thing since sliced bread.  When it doesn't work, I cuss the shit out of it!  Stupid Tivo!  -- Michael

04/05/05 (08:00 AM) -- "Habemus papam!"  [Music: "Signs" by Snoop Dogg feat. Justin Timberlake  I  Mood: Hungry]

SparkleCorpus.org meet up at The Executive Surf Club in Corpus Christi, TX @ 7:30 PM!

Alright, so I know some, if not many people are going to disagree with this, but here it goes...

In my opinion, what is going on this week with regard to the Pope's passing, and especially Friday's funeral, is the single biggest event to happen on this earth in the last sixty years, since World War II.  The Korean war, JFK's assassination, Neal Armstrong walking on the moon, the Vietnam war, Watergate, the fall of communism, the challenger explosion, Sept. 11th, 2001, Olympic Games, Super Bowls, etc. ... in my opinion, none of them are at the same level of what is going on this week in Rome.  Allow me to explain before you disagree.

The first question that arises is, why is this Pope's death a bigger deal than the previous passings of Popes within this time frame?  Well, John Paul II's papacy, at over 26 years, is the third longest in the history of the church.  More than half the world's population have only known this man to be Pope, therefore they do not remember the last time this week's rituals have taken place.  And given there sheer magnitude of events, one can argue that the events of this week have never taken place with the levels of reverence that this week has.  Pop John Paul II also had the distinction from other Popes of serving during a time in our history where technology and travel have allowed him to touch and reach so many more people than ever before.  His ability to reach people far exceeded the ability of his predecessors.

Now take into consideration what the Pope actually is.  The Pope is steep in tradition, being the oldest "elected office" in the world.  We're talking over 2000 years of history and tradition.  As the spiritual leader of the largest religion on this earth, the Pope is essentially the closest thing to God that there is on earth.  He is head of a following of over 1.2 billion Catholics.  That's over 1/6 of the world's 6 billion people.  His travels have taken him to over 100 countries where he has been seen by over a billion people.  He is arguably the most popular person, the most recognized figure, the most photographed person, and the most seen person throughout the world.  On this earth, it doesn't get any bigger than the Pope, figuratively or spiritually.

Consider just how many people are taking part in this event.  Over 100,000 people were in St. Peter's Square Saturday when they announced his death.  Over 130,000 people were present for Sunday's mass.  This week it is expected that 3-4 million people will pass through St. Peter's Basilica to view the Pope's body lying in state.  Lines are over three miles long, with a wait time of close to seven hours, just to file past the Pope for approx. 20-30 seconds.  For Friday's funeral, an estimated 2 million people will gather in St. Peter's Square to pay homage.  Virtually every plane, every train, every bus going into Rome this week is booked solid.  Stadiums and fields are being turned into mini-cities equipped with beds, blankets, tents, medical care, etc., in order to accommodate the amount of people that will be traveling in.  This will be the biggest decendence of foreign people into one city for a single event ever.  And none of this takes into consideration that Friday's funeral will be the most watched televised event in the history of the television, being watched by billions of people throughout the world.

There will be over 250 past and present heads of state from around the world, including President Bush, British PM Tony Blair, etc.  It will be the largest gathering of world leaders and royalty in the history of the world.  The future King of England, Prince Charles, has even postponed his Royal wedding so it won't interfere with the Pope's funeral and so he and his intended can attend.

Regardless of religious affiliation, this single event involves and touches more people around the world than any other event in years.  As Americans, we sometimes think that the world revolves around us and we forget that our beliefs and values aren't always what are common throughout the world.  Things that may be big to us, may not be quite a big to the rest of the world in the grand scheme of things.  The Pope's passing is truly a world event.  We are witnessing history happen right before our very eyes.

Over the last 60 years there have been a number of events that have taken place.  However, in my opinion, none of them compare to what is taking place this week.  The last world event to be this big was World War II, including the Holocaust.  That's the last time things have taken place in which the whole world has been effected.  And that's because one could even argue that this is still bigger because this is one event, a week's worth of ritual and tradition revolving around the passing of the Pope, versus years worth of the war and genocide.  However, I'm not going to go there.

What will happen on Friday, at 3:00 AM CST, will transcend nationalities, religious affiliations, personal beliefs, world politics, etc..  The process that we are experiencing touches more people than any other event in generations.  It is something that people will remember for the rest of their lives.  There's just no other way to describe it.  It's history in the making ... all of which leads up to in about two weeks from now when from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, it will be proclaimed ... "Habemus papam!" (We have a Pope!).  -- Michael

04/04/05 (06:30 AM) -- It's Been Awhile  [Music: "It's Been Awhile" by Staind  I  Mood: Tired]

The Levi Smith Band performs at Cool Bean Coffee Co. in Temple, TX @ 8:00 PM!

It's been a while since I wrote last.  I have been SO sick the last week; it's been really bad.  I just started to feel better over the weekend.  I know, I've been sick for a good while now.  What can I say?  It's not like I can help it or anything.  I'm just glad that I am getting back to normal.  Hopefully today, and this week will each be good.

Anyway, I don't have much time to write this morning.  I'll try to sit down and get something on here this week.  In the meantime, I am SO behind on shit right now because of the downtime.  Likewise, I have mountains of unanswered e-mail.  So it's going to be a you-know-what trying to get back caught up on everything.  Now's a good a time as any to get started though.  So I'll talk to y'all later.  Bye!  -- Michael

04/03/05 (12:00 AM) -- Sick  [Music: "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers  I  Mood: Sick]

Will write tomorrow ...  -- Michael

04/02/05 (12:00 AM) -- Sick  [Music: "Man In The Mirror" by Michael Jackson  I  Mood: Sick]

Happy Birthday David Badalich!

The Levi Smith Band performs at The Door in Dallas, TX @ 8:00 PM!

04/01/05 (12:00 AM) -- Sick  [Music: "Hey Ya!" by OutKast  I  Mood: Sick]

The Levi Smith Band performs at The Frog Theater on TCU Campus in Fort Worth, TX @ 7:00 PM!