American Idol Top 24 Predictions

American Idol – My Thoughts on the Top 24

Well, the top 24 has been announced for this season, and as a viewer since Season 3 I can honestly say this is the most talent I have seen in the Top 24. Finding a top 12 will be very tough. There will be some surprise eliminations to say the least. Here is the Top 24 and what I think of each:

Ashton Jones
Not much was shown of her. I think she’s pretty good and she’s got some spunk. I think either her or Tatynisa Wilson will make the Top 12, I just don’t know which.
Predicted finish: 10^th-16^th

Brett Loewenstern
If this kid was as cute as David Archuleta he’d be an absolute lock for the Top 12, but he’s not. He’s got the chops and I did have him as one of my Final 6 picks, but seeing how he BARELY made the Top 24, I might recant that. He has the voice, but not the looks or presence.
Predicted finish: 11th-18^th

Casey Abrams
The season’s token rocker. He has been shown so much it will be a shock if he doesn’t make the Top 12. He has a solid voice, but not enough range or starpower to win.
Predicted finish: 3^rd-10^th

Clint Jun Gamboa
Very good singer. And he’s gotten a lot of airtime. Not too many people like him because of the whole Jacee incident, but he’s gotten enough airtime to get to the Top 12. He won’t win, but could get far.
Predicted finish: 5^th-12^th

Haley Reinhart
She’s another borderline Top 12 candidate. It really depends on how well she does in the early semi-final rounds. I think she’s gotten just enough airtime to squeak into the Top 12.
Predicted finish: 9^th-15^th

Jacob Lusk
One of three people I think could win this thing. His range is unbelievable. And he sings with such passion. If he has quality performances and touches people’s hearts, he could win.
Predicted finish: 1^st-7^th

James Durbin
My favorite and the second of three people that I think could win. Obviously, there are the comparisons between him and Adam Lambert and even James mentioned he sometimes screams like him. What he needs to do is wow us like Adam did. If he does, he could do something Adam couldn’t, and that’s become the next American Idol.
Predicted finish: 1^st-8^th

Jordan Dorsey
The guy’s a bit of a jerk (he is strict teaching 5 year olds how to play the piano… turned down Scotty without even considering being nice about it) and he has a very average voice. He won’t make the Top 12. But if he does well he will get close.
Predicted finish: 13^th-20^th

Jovanny Bareto
The abs guy can certainly sing! He’s got a very latin voice which many people may like—not many people have appeared on this show with a latin-sounding voice. He could be anywhere from first eliminated to getting far in the Top 12. It’s all about how well he does.
Predicted finish: 10^th-18^th

Julie Zorilla
One of my favorites. She is so beautiful, so talented, that even if she doesn’t win, something good will come out of this for her, even if it’s a modeling gig. If she touches people’s hearts like the judges want her to, she will go VERY far.
Predicted finish: 3^rd-11^th

Karen Rodriguez
She’s a good singer—and I believe she’s the one that made to the auditions via her Myspace video. If that’s the case, kudos to her. She’s a great singer, but she won’t win. Just not enough starpower. But she could be a dark horse.
Predicted finish: 9^th-16^th

Kendra Chantelle
We haven’t seen much of her—that’s not good for Kendra. She’s got good looks, but so have many other early Top 24 cuts. I don’t expect a top 12 from her, just because of her lack of a fanbase.
Predicted finish: 14^th-22^nd

Lauren Alaina
My third possible winner! She is downright amazing. Her voice is so powerful. This show has not had a teen as good as her… period! If I had to pick one person who I think is going to win, it’s Lauren. She’s got the chops, the looks, and the starpower.
Predicted finish: 1^st-4^th

Lauren Turner
The maid turned singer might actually surprise some people. She’s pretty good, but she’s not great. I don’t expect the Top 12 for her. She hasn’t received enough airtime.
Predicted finish: 15^th-24^th

Naima Adedapo
Pronounced NYE-EE-MUH AH-DEE-DAH-PO, this girl can sing. She’s gotten a lot of airtime, she’s unique, and people will remember her. She’s almost a lock for the Top 12. The question is: Can she get to the Top 6?
Predicted finish: 6^th-13^th

Paul McDonald
Paul is very unique—a very raspy, soft voice, similar to today’s Rod Stewart. He didn’t receive airtime until the late Hollywood rounds which will hurt him. He doesn’t have too many fans, I’m afraid, to make the Top 12.
Predicted finish: 14^th-20^th

Pia Toscano
Hard to remember what she’s done or where she came from. But I know she’s got a great voice, great looks, and a bit of starpower. If she sings well, she’s in the Top 12.
Predicted finish: 11^th-17^th

Rachel Zevita
This year’s Tatiana Del Toro, I’m afraid. She’s too emotional and too dramatic. She’s gonna lose a few fans because of her dramatics. Her voice is ok, but she’s failed in the past to get to the Top 24, so you know she doesn’t have the best voice in the world.
Predicted finish: 12^th-18^th

Robbie Rosen
He really needs to quit using falsettos every 5 seconds in his songs—it’s annoying. If he can do that, he’s a lock for the Top 12. Young girls are always looking for a young cute guy, and this year, Robbie fits the mold (but with very little competition).
Predicted finish: 5^th-12^th

Scotty McCreery
Baby lock them doors and turn the lights down low… oh if I had a nickel for every time he has sang those lyrics…. Lol. This country kid has potential. He really needs to do a song outside his comfort range and wow us with it—i.e. take a rock song and make it country. If he does that, he’ll get in the Top 12. If not, it’ll be very close. He might get in on popularity alone, since he’s one of the young good-looking guys on the show this year, along with Robbie Rosen.
Predicted finish: 9^th-14^th

Stefano Langone
My fellow Washingtonian! I will be pulling for Stefano all the way. But I think he hasn’t really defined who he is yet, and that will be his downfall. I think he will be an early cut because of that.
Predicted finish: 18^th-24^th

Tatynisa Wilson
Like I said for Ashton, Tatynisa is one of those that will be close to making the Top 12. Between her and Ashton, whoever does better will get a Top 12 spot, and the other won’t.
Predicted finish: 10^th-16^th

Thia Megia
Sure, she’s 15, but I’m not extremely impressed with this girl—yet. She’s a good singer, but will she falter in the spotlight? We’ll have to wait and see. She’s a big question mark and could go out as soon as the first cuts or be one of the finalists. It’s too hard to tell. But I’ll go on a limb and say she makes it to the Top 12.
Predicted finish: 7^th-13^th

Tim Halperin
The girls should love this guy—heck even I know he’s good-looking. He’s got a great voice, too. I expect a Top 12 nod for him, just barely.
Predicted finish: 6^th-12^th

So, with all that said and done, here is my Top 12:
- Ashton Jones/Tatynisa Wilson
- Casey Abrams
- Clint Jun Gamboa
- Haley Reinhart
- Jacob Lusk
- James Durbin
- Julie Zorilla
- Lauren Alaina
- Naima Adedapo
- Robbie Rosen
- Thia Megia
- Tim Halperin

This is my new top 6 (in order):
1. Lauren Alaina
2. James Durbin
3. Jacob Lusk
4. Julie Zorilla
5. Casey Abrams
6. Robbie Rosen/Tim Halperin

Top 10 Stories I have come up with

Top 10 Stories I have come up with

The following is a list of 10 stories—from various genres and whatnot—that I have thought of myself. Some of them might be a tad far-fetched, but some I feel would make either really good movies or novels. Here are the top 10 stories I have come up with:


“Karate Fighters”
A group of karate experts interrelated through friendships and family discover they can harness supernatural abilities that relate to their outfit (i.e. the tiger ninja can transform into a tiger, the dragon ninja transforms into a dragon, the fire ninja becomes the human torch, etc.). They battle forces of nature and sometimes even each other in their conquest for world peace. I envisioned this as a series of movies—although I never really developed serious plots for any.  I came up with this idea through the Karate Fighters toys I had as a kid.  

“A Thousand Miles”
A man and woman from California in their 20s meet at a carnival and fall in love. Everything is going great for them until out of the blue, the man has to transfer to Seattle for his job and move up there. The woman being extremely poor, barely surviving as a waitress, cannot afford to move so she stays in California, and they try long-distance, which involves only the exchange of letters. The woman, however, decides she’s had it, and even though she doesn’t have a car, decides to go to Seattle—ON FOOT. She walks a thousand miles up I-5 (hence the title—cue Vanessa Carlton’s famous song) and she gets the media to follow her along the way. She eventually gets to her boyfriend’s door and stays there and they live happily ever after.  This would probably be set before the age of computers and cell phones.  The 80s, perhaps?

“Beauty and the Geek”
This sort of goes along the same lines as “I Love You Beth Cooper”, but I thought of this before I Love You Beth Cooper came out. Anyway, of course there is this geek, who is madly infatuated with the head cheerleader, the alpha female of the school.  They've gone to school ever since Kindergarten and we find out from this "Geek" they have a ton in common.  We see his feeble attempts to just make contact with her. After meeting a few new friends, they decide to give him a makeover over winter break—big time. He ditches the glasses, changes his wardrobe, changes his hairstyle, you name it. He comes back and the “beauty” thinks he is a new student, so he plays along and adopts this alter ego. They go to prom together, and there she finds out the truth, and she's hurt at first, but one last display of affection brings her back to him.

“Genocide”Genocide is about earth falling prey to a swarm of alien warships whose soul intent is to wipe out the earth of all human inhabitants. It centers on a man, his girlfriend and his best friend, who battle these aliens. I actually came up with two different stories, an original and its sequel. The first one is set in Seattle while its sequel is set in Los Angeles. In the first one, the aliens are unarmed and beatable. In the 2^nd one, we learn that the first set were merely minions set to test out the strength of the human race, and we see main characters get captured and interrogated.

“Taboo”Taboo is named such because of all the wrong or “taboo” things the main characters do in the film. Basically, a full-time burglar breaks into a house, believing it to be empty, only to discover a teenage girl inside. Instead of harming her, he kidnaps her and takes her with him, so he wouldn’t be ratted out to the police. While he decides what to do with the girl—here’s the kicker: they fall in love. The girl realizes that the burglar (named Troy) isn’t really a bad guy, just a guy who’s had a hard life—and Troy realizes the girl’s life has been pretty similar. They go burglarizing houses together, but unfortunately, they both get caught. Troy is put on trial (but not the girl) and he goes to jail. In jail, he develops a friendship with a few of the inmates who hear of his story and devise a plan to bust him out. Troy escapes past the confines of the prison, but is shot down by a guard in a tower right in front of the girl who was there waiting for him.

”One Two Punch”One Two Punch is one of the stories I’m most proud of—because I actually finished it and actually wrote it all out. Most of it can be found on my other blog here: http://briguy17.blogspot.com/. Basically, a man who is struggling to make ends meet as a teacher sees this father/son basketball tournament with a substantial prize and decides to find his long lost son (that he gave up for adoption at age 16 because of an unplanned pregnancy with his high school girlfriend). He finds him through his ex-girlfriend and they develop a bond.  And get this: His son turns out to be one of his students.  He's not gifted athletically, but the teacher/dad is, having been a basketball player in college.  They enter the tournament and win it, although there is controversy since this teacher isn’t the boy’s legal guardian. Also, the teacher reunites with his ex-girlfriend and they fall back in love. I don’t have the full story up because of a computer crash (lost the last 1/3 of my story), but I know what happens.

“Transit Terror”Set in Seattle (where else?), a man travelling with his daughter to Seattle on a Seattle metro bus receives the shock of a lifetime—their bus is being hijacked by terrorists. The terrorists plan is to crash the bus into the Space Needle, and with the help of explosives attached to the bottom of a bus, they plan to knock the needle to the ground.  We find out one of the terrorists started working as a mechanic for the metro company and planted the bombs.  However, our hero, with the help of a few passengers, thwart the terrorists and save the Space Needle. I just thought of this when I rode the bus a lot to college. It just struck me that if terrorists can hijack airplanes, what else could they hijack?

“Long Distance Love”There’s probably a better title for this, but as for right now it’s “Long Distance Love”. Basically, this boy, around 19 years old, who has never been with or even kissed a girl, meets this girl online. They decide to meet in person (Hmmm… sound familiar?  To anyone that doesn't know me, I met my current girlfriend online).  When he does things with her, though, such as kissing her or holding her hand, he gets these flashes, like he’s done it before. He gets these feelings that doing those things are really familiar to him. When he questions his parents, they decide to tell him the truth. He had been with a girl before. He had been madly in love. They went to school together. When she broke his heart however and broke up with him, he had tried to commit suicide, which resulted in him losing all of his memories of her (and of his suicide attempt). He had been told that he was in a car accident. Furthermore, he finds out who this girl is that broke his heart, and she later confesses to him that she regrets it more than anything and wants to get back together. So the boy has to choose between this girl he WAS in love with, and the new long-distance girl. Of course, he chooses the new long distance girl. That’s pretty much all I have.

“Body Switcher”
This one high school boy, named Kevin, feels he has a really boring and uneventful life—until one day he realizes he can switch bodies with other people if he concentrates hard enough. He and his friend decide to use this superpower to their own…benefits…by having Kevin switch bodies with certain girls... anyway, they take it too far and have to right their wrongs when it becomes almost impossible for Kevin to switch back. By the way, whenever Kevin switches bodies with someone, he controls their body, but the person he switches with cannot control his. They just enter a state of unconsciousness, and when Kevin switches back, they wake up as if they had fallen asleep.

“Miracle Mustangs”There is a high school football team who has never won anything, but for one year, they have some of the best players in the state. They get to the state playoffs and eventually the championship game. However, before the big game, their coach suffers a heart attack (doesn’t die), but is forced to watch the game from his hospital bed. The Mustangs, meanwhile, play with their assistant coach leading them on. In the first half, they get slaughtered and fall behind 28-7, because the team they're playing is REALLY GOOD. At halftime, their coach calls them and gives them a halftime speech from his hospital bed via the telephone. Then, in the 2^nd half, the Mustangs play inspired football and get to a score of 38-28, but still trailing. After a touchdown by the Mustangs (but a missed PAT), they draw within a score of 38-34. Their defense then provides a HUGE stop and they get the ball back, but with only 30 seconds left. After an incomplete pass, a sack, and a spike of the ball, the Mustangs are faced with a 4^th and eternity from their 12 yard line with 8 seconds left. However, the quarterback finds their star receiver, the fastest player in the country, and he motors and jukes his way for a touchdown, giving the Mustangs the 40-38 win.


There you have it folks. If you read all of this, let me know which story you like the best and which you think would do best as a movie or novel.

My Thoughts and Reviews on Everything Harry Potter

UPDATED WITH DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2
As you may know, Harry Potter is my favorite book series in the world. I have read each book at least 5 times (the first few at least 10 times), and I have seen the movies at least twice (the first few at least 5 or 6 times). They bring you to a world that, like Star Wars, makes you wonder if it’s actually out there. I will be reviewing all 7 books, all 8 movies, and 5 of the 8 current video games (I haven’t played Prisoner of Azkaban or Deathly Hallows). I will do this in chronological order, so Sorcerer’s stone book, movie, video game, then Chamber of Secrets and so on and so forth.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Book: 9/10
It actually took me a while to read this book once I got it. I heard about the Harry Potter craze going around when I was in 6^th grade. So I got the book and tried to read it, but the first chapter bored me. Who cared about those Dursley people? Where’s Harry Potter? Oh yeah, there he is! (After I read into the 2^nd and 3^rd chapters). The book that started it all is still a very good read.
Movie: 9/10
Chris Columbus did a fantastic job with this one. Out of all the HP movies, it is easily the most family-friendly and heart-warming. Not all of the books are like that, so the movies weren’t, either. My only problem with this movie is what they removed (The potions logic challenge) and changed (Voldemort’s “soul” passing through Harry, causing him to pass out)
Video Game: 8/10
Really a pretty great game, the graphics for the time aren’t bad. The controls were iffy and some of the things you had to do were either pointless, mundane, or too difficult (Fire seeds for Hagrid, sneaking by Filch)
Overall: 8.5

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Book: 8/10
This book, to me, is just another good addition. Good, not great. I enjoyed it, yes, but I wasn’t extremely wowed by it. I didn’t finish it feeling like it was an amazing book. Harry battling a basilisk and winning is highly unlikely, seeing as its eyes alone are lethal weapons. Don’t get me wrong, I do like CoS, but it just didn’t hit it out of the park for me.
Movie: 8.5/10
Just a hair notch down from its predecessor, because as we all know, sequels have a tough time living up to the expectations set by their prequels. They portrayed the Polyjuice Potion scene very well, as well as the scenes in the chamber. Even though I’m not a huge fan of changes, I did like how Harry had to be quiet as the basilisk got inches away from him. (But then again, how did it not smell him there?)
Video Game: 7.5/10
This game was only ok. What bugs me the most is when I get hit by something and I lose health and beans. It can get quite irksome and stressful. I love the free roam in this game though—being able to fly around Hogwarts is amazing—and buying things from the Weasley twins.
Overall: 8/10

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Book: 9.5/10
The first time I read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, I could not put it down. It introduces so many things, the Marauders (including Sirius, Lupin, and Wormtail), Hogsmeade, and dementors. I love reading this book each time. I can’t quite give it a 10 because I still get angered whenever I read Wormtail got away. How could JKR let that happen?
Movie: 7/10
They sort of dropped the ball with this one. It wasn’t a complete botch, but it was nowhere near the quality film it could have been. I could complain about the changes, but instead I’ll mention the bad acting (Radcliffe and Watson were pretty bad, and Gambon didn’t do Dumbledore well AT ALL), and the unnecessary inclusion of the Whomping Willow transition scenes. There’s a reason POA director Alfonso Cuaron didn’t direct another, one of only 2 directors to direct only one film.
Video Game: 8/10
Just got the game (in 2012) and beat it.  It's got good control, graphics, you name it.  Being able to play as either of the trio was a plus.  The free roam was also cool.  The story went by too fast though, but at least there's plenty to do to FULLY complete the game.
Overall: 8/10

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Book: 8/10
I really enjoy reading GoF, but the reason for only the 8 was just the whole Triwizard Tournament and how Harry HAS to compete just because his name comes out of a magical goblet. I thought these people were magic? Couldn’t they just undo that? The whole premise for this book is built on a semi-plothole. Other than that, the book is amazing, and the three tasks are described so well, I was completely captivated the entire time.
Movie: 6.5/10
I hate to give it such a bad rating, but this is what it deserves. The first task was changed because they felt JKR’s version was too boring. They changed the third task just for the heck of it. They didn’t even care about including any house elves, including Dobby and Winky. Frankly, they changed way too dang much (even more than PoA), and the acting still was somewhat bad, although slightly better. That is why Mike Newell was the other director to only get one shot.
Video Game: 8/10
Some really great graphics and being able to play as either Harry, Ron, or Hermione was great. In the past, you could only play as Harry. However, the one knock for this game is that you have to collect a certain amount of “Triwizard Shields” to move onto the next scene, which I think is ridiculous. If you complete a part, you should be able to move onto the next part without having to collect stupid shields.
Overall: 7.5/10

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Book: 8.5/10
I love OotP, I love how it introduces Grimmauld Place, the Order, and many new characters. However, it is extremely long. Also, Harry’s time at Hogwarts is miserable, making it almost not that fun to read. The climax towards the end was brilliant, however, and I think JKR wrote the death scene really well.
Movie: 8/10
They got the essence of the book and didn’t make TOO many drastic or noticeable changes. If you just read the OotP book once and watch the movie a year later, you won’t notice many changes, and that’s surprising, seeing how OotP is the longest book, yet the shortest movie. It’s a decent film that is probably the most average Harry Potter film out of the series.
Video Game: 8.5/10
Brilliant graphics, great depictions of scenes, and including the actors’ voices made this game a fun one to play. However, having to play Gobstones, Exploding Snap, and *dear me* wizard’s chess (yes, an actual game of chess) to get achievements for the Xbox put me off. However, it is a free roam game, which I love.
Overall: 8.5/10

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Book: 9.5/10
This book is insanely good! I read it in just over 2 days when I first got it. The mystery, the romance, the action, the history on Tom Riddle, just everything was very well done by JKR. This was the perfect transition book going into the final book in the series. I can’t give it a 10 because of the way Ron and Hermione acted towards each other—it didn’t seem like they could ever like like each other.
Movie: 8.5/10
Pretty much as good as I could expect. David Yates is improving, as are the three young actors who play the trio. The cave scene was well depicted. Michael Gambon was actually really good this time as Dumbledore. I wish they had included more on the Gaunts history, but I understand why it wasn’t included.
Video Game: 9/10
Great graphics yet again, great reenactments of certain scenes, and collecting the wizard crests was actually fun. The things I don’t like, however, are how Hermione looks (that looks nothing like Emma Watson!), the repetitive dueling, and in the climax, you got to do very little. However, they designed dueling pretty well, and the inclusion of playing Quidditch whenever I want is another bonus.
Overall: 9/10

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
Book: 9.5/10
Based on the first half of the book alone, I give it a 9.5/10. Very well written and it kept me hooked the entire time. I just couldn’t find it in me to give it a perfect 10. I think the thing was that they spent way too much time on the run looking for Horcruxes, just the three (and sometimes two) of them.
Movie: 9/10
I was very pleasantly surprised with this, Yates just keeps getting better. The HP films went from great to only ok back to great again. They conveyed the trio on the run very well. I had a few complaints: the dance scene, Wormtail not dying (yet), Ron not crying for Hermione, and Harry not being in disguise for the wedding. Other than that, great film and I was impressed.
Video Game: N/A
Ok, I only have the Wii version, and I have played very little of it, so I don’t feel I should give it a rating quite yet. I can say, however, that it has horrible controls, poor graphics, and the dueling was not well-designed. Then again, it’s only the Wii version I’ve played. If I had to give the Wii version a rating, I’d give it a 6/10. But I think I’ll wait until I get the Xbox version to decide if the DH video game is any good.
Overall: 9.5

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Book: 9.5/10
JK Rowling closed up the series perfectly. I love how it ended, but I felt too many good characters died, like Fred, Lupin, Tonks, Colin Creevey, etc. I would have given this a perfect 10, but I was a bit dissatisfied with the epilogue. A little cheesy and a little predictable. But what a great way to cap off my favorite book series ever.
Movie: 9/10
I can't give this any higher, but I still think they did a great job. I definitely found this film the most emotional, action-packed and intense of all the films, which is good. However, I have to dock a point for having this film with the most differences from the book since Goblet of Fire.
Video Game: 9.5/10
What can I say?  This was very well done.  The Gringotts battle, the battles at Hogwarts, getting to play as Neville, Seamus, and Luna... I couldn't have asked for more.

Sorcerer’s Stone: 8.5
Chamber of Secrets: 8
Prisoner of Azkaban: 8
Goblet of Fire: 7.5
Order of the Phoenix: 8.5
Half-Blood Prince: 9
Deathly Hallows, Part 1: 9.5
Deathly Hallows, Part 2: 9.5

Not too many surprises there, from my perspective. I really enjoy the later installments, as I have not read/seen/played them a lot. Sure, there were a lot of differences between the movies and books, but if you look at each series separately they are both really great series.

How to Grocery Shop Effectively and Save Money

If you know me pretty well, you know I work at Safeway, a grocery store, as a checker. I see dozens, if not hundreds, of different shoppers every time I work. And from what I have learned, experienced, seen, I have gathered enough to provide these grocery shopping tips to you. Some of these you will be able to use, some you won’t.

- Use coupons!
I can’t stress enough: USE COUPONS. Safeway has in their weekly ad coupons on various items in the store. There is also coupons.com (http://print.coupons.com/Couponweb/Index.aspx?pid=13306&zid=iq37&nid=10) where you can print off coupons to use at many stores. There are manufacturer’s coupons in the Sunday newspaper. You are often handed coupons by the cashier (Called Catalina Coupons) which you can use on products in the store. There are many ways to get coupons. You don’t, however, have to use every coupon you get. Why use a coupon on something you’ll never eat or use? So, look for coupons on products YOU LIKE. I can’t stress that enough. It will add up over time, using coupons on items you previously didn’t before. Find coupons. Save them. Use them. It will add up.

- Score on big deals
Sometimes I’ll notice at my store that a certain item will have an almost ridiculous deal. During the holiday season, we sometimes have 12 packs of soda buy 2 get 3 free. So you pay for 2, but get 5. Just recently at Safeway, there was buy 1 get 2 free containers of blueberries. Whenever you can get more free than more that you have to pay for, it’s a good deal and you should take advantage of it.

- Shop alone or learn to say no
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen parents with kids that end up buying gum, candy, a toy, or some kind of item their kid wants. Look, if they want it, they’ll but it themselves (if they’re old enough). Adding gum and candy all the time to your grocery bill will cause it to add up. Either shop alone, or just learn to say no. Perhaps promise them something else at home.

- Look high, low, far and wide
Product placement is huge in grocery stores. They put the eggs and milk towards the back because they are two of the most popular grocery items, causing shoppers to pass by many other grocery items on their way to get their eggs or milk. Besides that, however, items are conveniently placed to attract the customer’s eye. Items the store really wants to focus on selling will be at eye level and/or towards the front of the store. Items that they don’t want to sell, which could be for a very great deal, could either be low, high, far, or on the far side of the store. At my store, there is a 50% off rack of items. But guess where it is. VERY back of the produce department. Not towards the front. The back. So my advice to you is look high and low and in each corner of a store for great deals.

- Avoid the wallet breakers
Sometimes, because an item is displayed very well and looks appealing, you might be tempted to buy it. Look at the price though first. Could it possibly be Honeycrisp apples at $2.99 a pound? A bag of five Honeycrisp apples at $2.99/lb will cost over 10 bucks, I kid you not. Sometimes grapes might be $3.99 a pound, putting the average bag near 10 dollars. Sometimes cereals will be near $5 a box. For those certain items, avoid them. They may be something you really enjoy, but unless you really REALLY want it, let the store deal with overstock and force them to lower the price. If grapes or a certain kind of apple aren’t in season, just don’t buy it. Wait for it to go down.

- Check for mistakes
Mistakes can be made by people who do inventory, people who check your groceries, even by people who bag your groceries (forgetting to put all of your bags in your cart). We’re all human. So, when you’re done checking out, make sure you got charged the right amount for each product. That might entail trying to make a mental note of the price of each item you buy, but it could save you money down the line. When you get home and unbag your groceries, make sure you got them all and got charged the right amount. If you notice any kind of error, the checker or someone in customer service will help you out. That’s what they are there for.

Well, those are all the tips I have for you. In summary, use coupons, score on big deals, shop alone, look far and wide, avoid pricey items, and check for mistakes. If you do all of those on a routine basis, you will see your grocery bill go down immensely.

2010 Seahawks Grades

Well, the 2010 season is over for the Seahawks, and what an odd year it was. It was a third straight losing season, but we made it to the playoffs and beat the defending champs. Here I will grade certain areas of the team, then give an overall grade at the end.

Quarterbacks: C-
Matt Hasselbeck was either average or horrible, and towards the end of the year (not counting the playoffs) he was more of the latter. I saw nothing spectacular at all from Whitehurst. It was a very subpar year for our quarterbacks, who threw more interceptions combined than TD’s.

Running Backs: C
You look at the stats and see the Seahawks were one of the worst rushing teams in the league—but don’t blame the running backs. Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett gave it their all every play, sometimes fighting just to get back to the line of scrimmage. Poor and inconsistent offensive line play caused a horrible running game.

Wide Receivers: B+
We lost Housh and Branch yet still had great receivers this year. Mike Williams came back from the dead. Brandon Stokley became our third down guy. Deon Butler emerged as a threat. Obomanu had his best season. Great season for these guys.

Offensive Line: D+
Hard to give these guys any better than a D+. They were way too inconsistent and injury plagued. What hurt was Alex Gibbs (Offensive Line coach) retiring in the middle of preseason, but I thought what really hurt was losing 2^nd year guard Max Unger for the year. Okung played hurt, as did Spencer. Everyone else was average, except for Pitts, who IMO was awful.

Offense Grade: C

Defensive Line: B-
Raheem Brock and Chris Clemons sure stepped up this year, big time. Losing Red Bryant hurt us, especially in run defense. Mebane and Cole were very solid, but not spectacular. Balmer and Terrill filled in nicely from time to time.

Linebackers: B-
Tatupu was solid yet again, and Hawthorne emerged as a starter in this league and easily had the best season of any Seahawk linebacker. Curry was ok, but he hasn’t turned into one of the premier linebackers like we thought he would. Herring and Davis and the rest filled in really well when need be and played great special teams.

Secondary: D+
The only time they had a good game was against a very below average quarterback, such as Max Hall. They constantly got burned and beat. Trufant was average at best. Jennings was Jennings. Milloy played like a veteran, but a slow veteran. The biggest bright spot was Earl Thomas, who showed he will be our safety for years to come. He is the reason for the plus in D+.

Defense Grade: C+

Special Teams: A
Easily the unit that excelled most for the Seahawks. I don’t think the Seahawks have ever had such great special teams play in one year. Get that ST coach an extension. Leon Washington was dominant and should’ve gone to the Pro Bowl. Mare was as consistent as a kicker can be. Ryan was amazing at pinning the opponents inside the 20 (and not getting a touchback).

Coaching: C
Pete Carroll was very good in his first year. We also had good coaching from special teams and individual units (linebackers coach, running backs coach, etc). However, they sometimes failed to keep the team motivated when they got behind, which caused the Seahawks to lose 9 times by 15 or more points. The playcalling was sometimes horrible, which led to Offensive Coordinator Jeremy Bates getting fired.

Overall: C+
This was (although the record indicated otherwise) an above average season. Give Pete Carroll credit for turning us in the right direction. I expect the Seahawks to contend for the NFC West crown again next year. Go Seahawks!

My thoughts on the Seahawks in the Playoffs for 2011

Well, we made it. The 7-9 Seahawks are division champs. Amazing. It is really hard to believe a team with such horrible stats could make the playoffs, but it has happened. With a 16-6 victory over the Rams, the Seahawks secured a division title and a game at home vs. the New Orleans Saints. More on that later.

You look at the Seahawks right now… we are a team in disarray. Our quarterback situation is a mess, we are the worst running team in the NFL, our pass defense is a joke sometimes, and we still managed to make it to the playoffs. Whoever heard of an NFL playoff team that couldn’t score nor play defense well? Dead last in rushing, our Offensive Line is a game of musical chairs, and we still managed it. Unbelievable.

Moving on to the game against the Saints. The Seahawks are 10 point underdogs… at home… to a team that hasn’t won a road playoff game, while the Seahawks have yet to lose a playoff game at Qwest Field. It’s always when the Seahawks go on the road in the playoffs where they struggle. But, given the way the Seahawks have played, I can see why they are such big underdogs for this game.

I will say this: The Seahawks have a shot of winning, especially if they do these things:
- No big plays allowed
- Win turnover battle
- Rattle Drew Brees

No big plays allowed means on defense, limiting the Saints to plays of 5, 8, 10 yards instead of plays of 15, 20, and 25 yards. Have the safeties play back a bit and even bring in extra defensive backs in nickel and dime coverage. The Saints are missing both Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory, so they will be pretty one-dimensional. Therefore, the Seahawks need to play tight coverage, pressure Drew Brees, and not allow big plays.

Winning the turnover battle means that Hasselbeck has to control the ball—the same goes for Lynch, too. Hasselbeck cannot force it into tight spaces and get it picked off. Lynch, who fumbled twice in our previous game against the Saints, must hold onto the football. If the Seahawks can hold onto the football and maybe get a turnover or two on the other side of the ball, they have a decent shot of winning.

There are the other small factors, too. There’s the whole QB controversy with Hasselbeck and Whitehurst, the Saints having to prepare for both quarterbacks, because we might see both play in the game. Then there is the short week, the travel of over 2,000 miles, and of course, playing in Qwest Field, the loudest outdoor football stadium in the NFL. If Drew Brees has an off game, or an unspectacular game, the Seahawks have a shot. They really do.

I am glad we are starting Hasselbeck. He has the experience and the wherewithal to keep us in the game. Whitehurst would be too panicky and would cause us to stall too many drives. Yes, Hasselbeck has been rusty and banged up, but you always want to go with the veteran in a playoff game. Experience means a ton in these kinds of games.

So, I’ve laid it out there that the Seahawks CAN win. But will they? Probably not. I have to admit it, they probably won’t win the game. I hate to say it, and I desperately want a win, but it’s more than likely not going to happen. I think the Seahawks will be as one-dimensional, if not more one-dimensional, than the Saints, who will carve up the Seahawks secondary in zone coverage. I think we will turn the ball over. The Seahawks have to almost play perfectly to win, and we haven’t really seen them play perfect all year.

I predict about an 8 or 9 point loss. I think the Seahawks will fall behind but scratch their way back closer to make the game a closer result. I can’t see a game where the Seahawks lose by 20 points. The Saints aren’t planning on that. All they want is a W at the lowest cost, which probably means a closer result than 20 points.

However, let’s just have fun for a bit. There is actually a way that the Seahawks could get to the Super Bowl, and it’s not as improbable as you might think. First off, of course, they’d have to win against the Saints. If they do what I mentioned above, that is very possible. Secondly, the Packers would have to beat the Eagles (and then later beat the Falcons). In that case, the Seahawks would travel to Chicago, where, oh by the way, they’ve won already this year. If they get a win there against a possibly shaky Jay Cutler and his Bears, then they would play the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game… at QWEST FIELD. You heard me right. The NFC Championship game could be at the home of a 7-9 team.

But the odds of that are probably slimmer than an Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl. But one can always dream. The Seahawks will need to show up even more so than they did against the Rams. The Seahawks will need the fans, the energy, the momentum, and to feel the electricity coursing through their veins. It could happen. So Seahawks, make it happen. Beat the defending champs. Show the world what you’re made of. GO SEAHAWKS!

After Week 6 - Insanity Blog

After Week 6 of Insanity Blog

Weight I’ve lost: None. I stayed right at 163.5

What Hurts the Most: Not much, really. My body seems to be adapting to the workouts. However, for a short period following the “Core Cardio and Balance” DVD, my shoulders and legs hurt. If anyone’s done Insanity, they know what I mean.

What I did: Did a couple 2^nd month workouts, then once I travelled to California, I did Core Cardio and Balance, which is only 37 minutes.

Diet: Breakfast: Small bowl of cereal or oatmeal usually with a banana. Snacks: Sometimes I didn’t have one, but they varied. Lunch: Varied, but I had leftovers a lot and sandwiches. Dinner: Varied, I ate out quite a bit, but tried to watch what I ate. I stuck to high protein, low-fat options if possible. My biggest splurges were when I ate out, either at Chevy’s (Steak tacos) or Mary’s Pizza Shack (Meatloaf Sandwich). I drank mostly water, but I also had green iced tea and orange juice (on the plane).

Summary: I didn’t expect to lose weight this week, and I don’t really expect to next week, either. I ate out quite a bit (on average once a day). I also had fewer meals (but larger ones), which is not what I have been doing the past month. I hope to get my diet back down to eating five small meals a day and I will be eating out a lot less. The Cardio and Balance workout really got pretty easy the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th times I did it. Now, it’s onto more 2^nd month workouts. Back to a regular schedule and a diet that (mostly) fits into my plan.