Why? Why? Why?

I'm back from the gym and the calorie counters said I burned 400 calories. Weeks of work, hundreds and hundreds of calories burned and no result. Not a single pound! Somebody tell me why!

American Idol Girls Week 2

Girls' 2nd night.

Gina Glockson: sang "Alone." I went back and listened to Carrie Underwood sing it and again there is no comparison. Carrie sang it 10 times better with half the effort and a lot more poise. I still might vote for her.

Alaina: can't put a complete sentence together, the song is boring and her bouncing and knobbly knees are irritating me.

Lakesha: can really sing, but her performance isn't nearly as fun, peppy or memorable as Paris Bennett's performance of the same song. Simon was right on the mark about Lakesha's outfit choice; the miniskirt doesn't do her any good. I wonder who would win if the competition were between Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia, Mandisa, Lakesha and Melinda. That would be awesome!

Melinda: looks sharp, boring song (My Funny Valentine). Has old mannerisms and singing style and looks much older when she is singing. I would not take her for 28. Very lounge lizard tonight. Damn, she can sing tho! Simon loved it. I'm definitely voting for her.

Antonella: cool dress. Why do people sing Celine Dion songs when they are so boring and few can match Celine's powerful voice? I didn't like the performance and I hope she gets voted off this week. She has an attitude problem and definitely proves Simon's point about those with little talent, but big egos.

Jordin: I love her, but this week's song is boring. Strong voice. Good feedback from the judges. I'm voting for her.

Stephanie: why are all of the girls singing slow songs tonight? Awesome earings and beautiful dress. Boring song (a Beyonce song I haven't heard before). I think the song is holding her back. I have to admit that she looks and sings like a pop star. "The dawg is right." :-)

Redhead (what is her name?!): so far, she is singing better than last week. Sadly, she has no grace, always looks very awkward. Is that skat? It sucks. I liked the sound of her voice, but she doesn't know how to put a song together and make it work. Ryan is definitely earning his money.

Who the hell is this girl? I don't remember her from Abel.: Very sexy and looks like a model. Her voice is too weak for a rock song. Very vanilla and not rockin' at all--she's more like a college coed on spring break dancing on a table. I seriously don't remember her. Randy agrees with me. Simon made her cry. I still didn't catch her name.

Sabrina: Very beautiful and looks a little like Gloria Estafan. Great voice, boring song. I don't know if that last note was ok. Tepid feedback from the judges.

Ok it's time to vote and then go to the gym.

American Idol

Ho hum. I absolutely love American Idol. It is the one show I look forward to every season. Actually, I missed the first 3 seasons and started watching it during season 4 when I was in Israel (go Bo and Carrie! I'll never forget my Aussie roommate saying he enjoyed watching me watch AI because I always unconsciously grinned during it.) Through the magic of youtube I've been able to catch up on much of the earlier seasons (Fantasia was a star! Was bored by Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, but maybe it is because I didn't live through the week to week drama. Sorry, folks.) I really enjoyed last season also and thought Taylor, Mandisa, Paris, Bucky, Chris Daughtry and the others were all really terrific. I'll never understand why Katherine McPhee was in the finals since she is clearly a broadway singer, her bulemic thinness and current slutty makeover notwithstanding, but the drama and the singing were still great, even in the final episode. This season, however, is very different. I am bored. The audition episode focused too much on the ridiculous and the terrible and totally neglected the good auditions, which I crave just as much as the silly ones. They seemed to go on forever. Hollywood week was a bust and nothing was shown or said; I felt robbed. The top 24 performances aren't that intereting either. The guys in particular are dull, even tho tonight's second episode was much better than the first. I can't even remember their names even though I knew everyone in the past 2 seasons. They just are not memorable, except for Sundance because that name is impossible to forget. So far, only Blake has stood out for his good performance last week and his beatboxing this week. I didn't vote for Chris Sligh this week because when I went back and compared his performance of "Trouble" to Taylor's there was no comparison. Chris Sligh would not have even made it to the stage last season. The girls sang great last week, but somehow it was all very predictable. None of them seem to have a distinctive personality and all of the white girls look strangely identical and sound identical. I'm beginning to think that America has run out of talent and the show ought to take a 3 year hiatus. I also don't understand how that redhead managed to stay another week. She was atrocious! Hopefully, the performances will get better, but in previous seasons we did not have to wait for the shows to improve--they were great from the get-go.

An Update

I've been going to the gym almost every day for the past few weeks. I spend 30-40 minutes doing cardio (I love the elliptical!) and then usually use the muscle machines. Is it too much to expect that I should lose at least a pound?! I weigh myself before every workout and then again afterwards and find that I always lose a pound in sweat, but the next day that pound is back on again. It's infuriating! I am not very fond of my gym; it has ventilation issues and is always muggy. My boyfriend is ready to end his membership because the men's showers haven't had hot water for 2 months. Anyhow, I just wish I would start seeing results.

The job front is still abysmal.

I have a mammogram scheduled for next week. Breast cancer is prevalent on both sides of my family and I thought I felt a lump. It's better to be paranoid even if it leads to charges of hypocondria from my BF (because last month there were flashes in my eyes and I thought my retina was detaching--it's not). I may be a hypocondriac, but I hate doctors and everything medical and haven't been to a doctor in years. Truthfully, I'm terrified of learning the results. Do you know what the real bitch of it is though...it turns out that soy contributes to breast cancer because of its high estrogen content. I've been drinking soy every day because I thought it was healthy and I dislike milk. This means no more toffee nut soy lattes. I am so bummed.

Does fat jiggle or does it condense when you shiver?

Holy crap, I have never been so cold in my life! I don't remember my reason for moving to the east coast because my brain has frozen solid.