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Celebrate!

I have been doing tons of Alito blogging at Polipundit today.  Just keep scrolling.

(Screen shot above via Expose the Left.) 

I Like The Attack Kitten

This liberal at least has a sense of humor.

Whale Vomit Perfume -- Who Knew?

Do NOT miss Ace's post on million dollar whale vomit. 

Cartoon above courtesy of PatriotArt.com.

Idol In NC

Tonight's American Idol shows auditions from Greensboro, NC.  It is about time they came to North Carolina, considering first place winner Fantasia Barrino and the most successful runner up ever, Clay Aiken, are both from NC.  The two hour show begins at 8:00 p.m. EST.

Update:  I already know who I want to win American Idol Season 5 -- Kelly Pickler from Albemarle, NC.  She talks like I do (or like I did when I was 19) and she is absolutely adorable.  Oh, and she sings like a bird.  She won the hearts of the AI judges, too, even Simon.  Pickler has a moving story, as well.  Her mother left her when she was two and her father has been in and out of jail for drugs.  She lives with her grandfather in a small house in Albemarle, where she works as a waitress (on roller skates at Sonic).  She is modest and doesn't seem to realize how incredibly talented she is.  She will be fun to watch.

Greensboro pictures here.

Update: Click here for the Feb. 21 update on Girls' Night, the first night of competition of the top 12 female singers.

Dave Barry on "24"

I love Dave Barry.  The excerpt below of Dave Barry live-blogging the Sunday night premiere of "24" is just the latest reason.  Thanks to Jon Ham for the link. Read the rest of Barry's "24" blogging here.

24

FINALLY the football game is over. I hope everybody has visited the bathroom and is ready for some ACTION.

UPDATE: WE DON'T WANT THE SUBWAY POSTGAME SHOW. WE WANT JACK.

UPDATE: What the hell has Jimmy Johnson done to his hair?

UPDATE: Here we go. I pity the West  Coast.

UPDATE: I hate the needle-to-the-heart part.

UPDATE: Jack is wearing a hard hat. They'll NEVER penetrate that disguise!

UPDATE: The bastards shot former acting acting president Allstate Insurance Spokesperson!

UPDATE: They're setting up a hard perimeter. That's always good.

UPDATE: WHOA! Chloe has a boyfriend! He's, like, 9, but still.

UPDATE: Frank's hot new girlfriend does not seem quite so hot now that we get a good look at her. But she is a major upgrade from Audrey.

UPDATE: The new girlfriend's surly teenage son looks alarmingly like Chloe.

UPDATE: Michelle is reminding Tony that they used to run scenarios. That is SO romantic.

UPDATE: They got Michelle! These people are dropping like flies.

UPDATE: Oral-B has a new toothbrush that looks genuinely scary.

UPDATE: Whoa. Edgar has not been skipping the Krispy Kremes.

UPDATE: NOW THEY'RE AFTER CHLOE. It's like they want to wipe out everybody who had anything to do with the last season! And who can blame them?

UPDATE: New Girlfriend (NGF) to Jack: "I can't thank you enough for all the work you've done around here." Heheheheh.

UPDATE: Jack wants Chloe to go dark.

UPDATE: Jack got out his Secret Agent Kit! He's baaaaaaccckk!

UPDATE: NOT AUDREY! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

UPDATE: The first lady is not taking this well.

UPDATE: Jack has commenced hitting people.

UPDATE: Jack is taking the NGF's surly teenage son (STS) in the helicopter. It's a chance for them to bond.

UPDATE: The First Lady says she is, quote, "not making this up."

UPDATE: Edgar is the size of a two-car garage.

UPDATE: They're not at speed! I hate it when people are after me and I'm not at speed.

UPDATE: Hey, Jack is stabbing now. Is that new? He was always more of a shooter.

UPDATE: Do NOT mess with Chloe.

UPDATE: The guy actually believed Jack wouldn't shoot him! Obviously he has never seen this show.

UPDATE: At this rate, by the end of the second hour there's going to be nobody left alive in Southern California.

UPDATE: Celebrity skating? Where will it end? Celebrity welding? Celebrity eye surgery?

UPDATE: Why are they showing the highlights of the first hour, which we JUST WATCHED??

UPDATE: Edgar ran it through a high-res filter. That's exactly how I would handle it.

UPDATE: Chloe's going to get Jack a schematic.

UPDATE: "Jack would never murder his friends."

UPDATE: Edgar is jealous.

UPDATE: President Manilow is SUCH a wienerhead.

UPDATE: They launch in less than an hour! (Who the hell are they?)

UPDATE: Jack's girlfriend is thinking she should have kept dating the plumber.

UPDATE: Chloe is reading the agents' transponders. She is some woman!

UPDATE: "Relax. He's really good at this."

UPDATE: Jack is booted up, and Chloe is uploading to him.

UPDATE: Jack is a smooth talker.

UPDATE: You rarely see that kind of cleavage on a first lady.

UPDATE: Edgar found out that Chloe's logged in remotely! With an external socket!

UPDATE: HEY! ASSASSINATED FORMER PRESIDENT ALLSTATE INSURANCE SPOKESPERSON IS ALIVE AND DOING COMMERCIALS!

UPDATE: I don't like the looks of the bald guy with the accent and the guns.

UPDATE: At some point, even the FBI is bound to notice all the unconscious agents lying around.

UPDATE: There's, like, dozens of agents after Jack. They have NO chance.

UPDATE: The girlfriend's on the 210 at the 10.

UPDATE: Chloe is a stand-up gal.

UPDATE: Jack really does care.

UPDATE: Somebody is messing with the first lady's mind, such as it is.

UPDATE: Edgar says there's chatter! They're sourcing it! The reliability's approaching 95 percent!

UPDATE: Eventually the bald guy is going to punch President Manilow out.

UPDATE: I see guys like that in the Miami Airport all the time.

UPDATE: You watch. The airlines will claim this is a weather delay.

UPDATE: OHMIGOD! THE WEASEL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT! HE'S IN ON IT!

UPDATE: Looks like there will be shooting tomorrow night.

OK, everybody take a handful of powerful sedatives and try to get some sleep. We'll recap tomorrow. You'll be on your own tomorrow night, but I think you have shown, in the comments section, that you are completely out of your minds up to the task.

Posted by Dave on January 15, 2006

Comfort Food

My aunt recently emailed and asked if I wanted the recipe for my grandmother's bourbon rolls.  She said she had forgotten about them until her kids asked for them this Christmas.  I told her to send it on, along with the recipe for Maw Maw's macaroni and cheese.  I made the mac and cheese tonight and it was wonderful. (The smell alone was divine.)  I think I will try the bourbon rolls for my husband's birthday next week. The recipes, as my aunt relayed them to me, are below.  Enjoy.

I don't think mother had a recipe for macaroni and cheese.  She cooked the macaroni then layered her baking dish with macaroni, butter, and cheese until it was full.  Then she would mix an egg with milk and pour it over the mixture.  She would then bake it until it was bubbly and brown on top. 

Here is the recipe for bourbon rolls.

Mix

1 large box of vanilla wafers (crushed).
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup candied cherries
2 cups pecans
1 cup candied pineapple
3 tablespoons bourbon

Roll in powdered sugar, and wrap in aluminum foil, then let set in refrigerator for a week.

For those not familiar with bourbon rolls, they are rolled out into a log shape and then sliced when ready to serve.  When I made the mac and cheese tonight, I used shredded sharp cheddar and I also added salt and pepper when I layered the cheese and butter.

My Other T.V. Obsession

I have talked about "24" for at least a week now, and in so doing have neglected one of my other "must see" shows, American Idol.  Don't giggle.  I love the show, and I don't care who makes fun of me for it.  I know the words to most all of the songs (many from my childhood) and I can watch it with my children because none of the songs, dances or costumes are inappropriate. 

My nine-year-old daughter loves last season's winner, Carrie Underwood.  So much so, in fact, that I am almost sick of her new CD, we have listened to it so many times.  Actually it is quite good, especially if you like country music.  We also are fans of our hometown runner up from three seasons ago, Clay Aiken.  I really enjoyed hearing him sing a lot of the songs I loved growing up by artists like Elton John and the Bee Gees and he seems like a genuinely decent human being. 

If you haven't watched the show before, take a look.  The first episode airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. on Fox with the open tryouts.  After a few weeks the field will be narrowed to the finalists. My kids are pretty excited.  Gotta go.

Update:  More American Idol blogging here.

"24" Premiere Concludes Tonight

A comment thread is open at Polipundit.

Don't Forget The "24" Premiere

I am really excited about watching the premiere of "24" tonight (8 p.m. EST on Fox) and I am going to keep talking and blogging about it until I have seen it. I feel compelled to make my pitch to those who have not watched the show yet, to give it a chance. Don't expect it to be terribly realistic, although many of the scenarios and characters have very realistic elements, and it is definitely more realistic than most action-adventure movies. "24" is what I would describe as an action fantasy suspense drama. There will be lots of explosions and lots of people are gonna die and be tortured and face gut wrenching life or death decisions. It will be extremely fast paced and it will put you on the edge of your seat and leave you hanging there until the next episode airs. If you miss the first two hours tonight, it will be harder to pick up the story and follow along (although not impossible), so give it a shot and watch from the beginning. I won't even ask you to watch the entire first two hours before deciding whether or not you like it because if it is anything like the previous four seasons, you will probably be hooked in 15 minutes or less. I will ask that you watch at least the first hour before deciding whether or not to commit to being a "24" watcher.

Believe it or not, I have no financial interest, or any connection to the show or anyone in it. I am just a huge fan and I want as many people as possible to watch because I want the show to draw huge ratings and stay on as long as it continues to be as good as it has been. I will post a thread tomorrow night and encourage those who watch the premiere, especially first time "24" viewers, to post their comments. I hope that I am not disappointed by the new season and really hope all those I have encouraged to watch, like this blogger, won't be disappointed. If this season is anything like previous ones (Rush Limbaugh has seen the first episodes already and says it is possibly the best season yet) then I have nothing to worry about.

Previous "24" blogging:

Countdown to "24"

Jack Bauer's America

McCain's Torture Amendment and "24"

The Coolest Thing Anyone Has Ever Said To Me

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