Slim Pickin's

I know, I know, this blog has been sorely neglected. Seems all I post these days are photos and videos with no more than a line or two of commentary. There's just not all that much going on. Work is slow. Hey, I'm not complaining, I am enjoying the down time. But I haven't gone anywhere interesting in quite some time. I have a trip coming up next week to South Carolina, and the following week to Virginia, but neither one promises to be exciting. I haven't flown for work in a while, but last time I did it was a disaster, so I should be grateful.

Comet is doing fine. Wants to go outside, of course, and I won't let him. I thought about getting a screen tent so he could be outside but be somewhat protected, but the cons: the tent would probably kill what paltry grass I have in my backyard, not to mention blow away in a big gust of wind. And if the neighbor cat wanted to throw down, a flimsy screen isn't going to afford much protection. So Comet will remain an indoor cat for the foreseeable future.

The London trip planning is coming along nicely. We booked our hotel--Premier Inn County Hall--as well as a weekend jaunt in the country through International Friends. What the hotel lacks in character (it's basically like a Holiday Inn), it makes up for with location--right in the thick of it all, which is exciting. It's not cheap, at about 125GBP a night, but it's central and modern and comes highly recommended on Trip Advisor. The side trip we're taking will be on a mini coach with no more than 16 people total, to Bath, Stonehenge, Oxford, and the Costwolds. We contemplated a day trip but felt having two days would be much more leisurely and give us more opportunity to enjoy these quaint destinations.

Speaking of Trip Advisor, I have been reading the London Forums nonstop. There is so much good information available, on everything from picking the best place for afternoon tea (I'm thinking the Lanesborough), to deciding which Tube ticketing option is best (I was going to go with an Oyster card, which basically functions like a debit card for subway fare, until I read that if you get the paper cards you can get 2-for-1 entry on some of the expensive sights, like the Tower of London and Madame Tussaud's. Any way we can save money is welcome!)

I'm having a get together at my house on Sunday afternoon, with people from work. I'm hoping it will be sunny so we can barbecue.

American Idol remains enjoyable. I must say, my two initial faves (Carly and David A) are starting to wear thin. Simon summed it up perfectly: she sang last night's "inspirational" song in an angry tone. She's always furrowing her brow and screaming her notes. And David, well, it's just getting to be a bit much. He does not stand out anymore, yet the judges give him much praise, and the girlie screams are neverending. I thought for sure last night's song choice would get him some negative reviews, but apparently it's the best pop song ever written?! I must admit, my favorite performance last night was Kristy Lee Cook. She nailed the song, and you could tell it really resonated with her. Bravo. Brook, whom I normally love, did just ok, and it could have been stellar because it was a good song for her. Jason Castro's version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow is very familiar to me, since it plays during the end credits of Meet Joe Black. So, fantastic? Nah. Interesting that they will still have eliminations this week, in a separate show so as not to sully Idol Gives Back. Man, it's a whopping two and a half hours long! Should be entertaining.

That's all I can think of for now. Hopefully there will be something blogworthy happening soon!