What have I been up to?

I've been Answerbagging since earlier this year. It's an extremely addictive question and answer website, at www.answerbag.com. For the most part, I've been providing advice for relationships, having some fun, and answering Answerbag questions. I've put a page in my Orange Frog Productions FAQ section about "Prettifying Your Answerbag Profile", explaining step-by-step the HTML you can add and modify. (It's a bit like entering a blog... You don't have to do paragraphs, but you do have define the whole page as a DIV and do your styles on IT to do them all.) I'm working on a comprehensive User Guide for it. It will be on OFP soon, I hope!

Meanwhile, my VR counselor was promoted, and I've gone through two more Crossroads job coaches - the last is changing positions soon. AND, I'm STILL looking for a job. I don't understand why 25 years of programming experience doesn't seem to count for anything. Anyway, I'm only looking for entry level (or a little above) for programming, help desk, customer service, office, web design/devel0pment, etc. Sooner or later, someone will take me, I hope! Or, the two people I've been talking with, and I, will start a business tied in with Genealogy. We'll see, I guess.

Speaking of genealogy, I haven't been doing much on it, recently. I WILL be getting back to it when I get that User Guide done, I'm sure.

Also (genealogy/history-related)... Even MORE history was lost recently in the midwest, with the number of homes and towns destroyed and damaged by the floods in Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, etc. It should be a wake-up call to everyone to MAKE SURE you scan and/or otherwise protect your family's photos, documents, and anything else you can, and save copies on multiple CDs/DVDs, sending copies to other family members who are not in the same areas as yourself. While the digital copies will not be LEGAL, at least you have all the information in all of them, can have pictures reprinted, etc. Imagine all the historical records LOST when the downtowns of these places flooded out. This is why THEY should scan all their records to optically store them, and have digital text copies, besides! I hope SOMEONE takes this type of thing into account. Also think about the cemeteries that were lost/damaged by the flooding. It's sad... It's really sad, that all this history is gone forever.

That's enough for today. TTYL

America's Got Talent 2008 - Episode #2

Time for a new show... It comes on... And the phone rings. A friend from Virginia... We talked for three (3!) hours... Obviously right through the show. It's a good thing I recorded it for my wife... We watched it Friday... Here's what I saw...

The Singing Fairy - OMG... Piers "X"ed her right away. The audience is booing... and Sharon let her finish (after she faulterd when Piers buzzed her. No.

Missed a couple of dumps (I think, Thank God!) Then a Polinka something-or-other (with his/her mother - (s)he was strangely made up)... No.

Eli Mattson, 26yo, "Walkin' in Memphis"... Played keyboard to accompany himself... Good job... Hard to understand some of the words, but he made you feel the emotions of the song. Sharon said she couldn't believe that someone like him wasn't already signed. He's in. VEGAS, Baby!

27yo bartender, Miss Pussykatt (Kathy) is next... Cute... Purple hair... A "grinding" act... She uses an "industrial grinder" on steel plates on her chest and ... front... throws sparks while she dances. Interesting, but I don't know if she can sustain it for more than a couple of shows. SHe made it.

Survivors of Hurricaine Katrina from New Orleans, 9th Ward - Lost EVERYTHING in it. Uncle in wheelchair locked himslef in a room, when rescuers came, to save the 2, 3 and 5yo kids that were there. Lil Country & Paige???... Dancers... Break dance... acrobatic dancing. They're the ones in the commercial in the red sweats, where the one guy wheels/slides across the stage on his head. Piers said they've become one of the favorite acts of AGT, this year.

I've noticed, this year as they enter and leave, they've got a LOT of background music.
And, now we're in New York. (Thought they did New York last week!) Ok...

Extreme Percussionist... Drumtaaia... Plans on creating the Greatest Drum Show on Earth! Limo Driver... Noise and smoke... And frantic pounding on almost everything No. Piers: "I think you are a complete and utter looney, and I wish you all success." TG, NO!

Can you IMAGINE the acts they DON'T show on TV? GEEZE! Considering some of those they DO show... OMG! No WONDER they need to take breaks!

Ok... Family boy band (brothers), Next to None ("or N2N for short")... They have the look... They did Bye Bye Bye... They're good! 19, 15, 17, and 23yos. There's no real lead singer, but they have a great look and great style (Sharon). Piers liked them. David liked their attitude... "You're Raw... Good Job!"... And they're IN.

Now a Russian Bar Trio... 13 foot bar with the guys holding the bar on their shoulder, and they toss the girl. Think circus act. She does flips, splits, etc. The finale... A double somersault 180 degree twist. She had to be 20-30 feet in the air, and landed on the bar that couldn't be wider than a balance beam (gymnastics). Good, but again, can they sustain it? They make it to Vegas.

An unemployed guy who's taking the time to become a full-time Ozzy impersonator. He kinda has the look (Piers said he looks BETTER than Ozzy, and Sharon whaps him with her notes), but he can't sing... (at least Ozzy's somewhat on key! LOL) Piers said, yes, but David and Sharon said no... So no Vegas for THIS Ozzy!

Now we have a family - All of them have musical instruments, most strings. The Taubl Family. They do an orchestral arrangement of The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music. Piers "X"s them... Then they sing. Good harmonies, and they can play, too. As Jerry said, "family entertainment". Piers said he may have buzzed them a bit early, and HATES being a "bit wrong" and having to explain it. They're in. Vagas, here they come

An all volunteer, amatuer dance compnay from Washington, DC, is next. The DC Cowboys. One said, "Think Brokeback meets Broadway". They cowbuy dance to "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy". About 20 guys, and they're pretty much in unison throughout... Good job! They're in.

Entertainer and Martial Artist... Kevin "Big K" Taylor... Will break 1000lbs of bricks htat are on fire... Six 1" concrete blocks... about 12 stacks of them... And the finale was about 8 of them stacked, 2 stacks, one for each hand... ALL on fire. He had no problem with the 6 counts, except for his hands catching on fire! He put them out fast, then did the finale. (Took a couple of hits for one stack.) David said yes... Sharon didn't want to see him hurt himself, and said No... Piers asked what else he would do... He said his goal is to have bricks DROPPED on him while he's laying down, and breaking them with his fingers before they hit him... Piers said yes... He's in.

A woman diagnosed a couple of years ago with cervical cancer. Her husband loves her singing. She just celebrated being cancer-free at the end of the year. Chellina... She sings a spiritual... The audience is standing... David: "Amazing voice." Piers: "Good audition... Not great...". Sharon said that, yes, they've put singers through better, but she sings with heart. To Piers, Chellina said, "I won't let you down." Piers... "It's not about letting me down. It's whether I think you can win." Chellina: "I CAN win." Piers likes her spirit and she's in.

Welcome back to the Chicago auditions... I'm not sure when they switched over! GEEZE!

Johnny O; Magician; He bounces a ball, then can't get it to balance on his head... Now a montage of magicians - Dan the Magic Man; tears the head off a dove, then puts it back on (dove flutters)... Missed one... Dennis Keith; Self-flotation; Stretches between two chairs, and when assistant pulls the one from his head, dropped to the ground... A lady doing rings (one stuck to the chair... Bizzaro; Sets himself on fire and shoots flames out his FRONT... NOPE... NONE of them. Most of them screwed up big time.

Now a husband and wife duo, the Pendragons. "Illusionists" and have been doing it for 30 years. A couple of years ago, an arrow went through his heart preparing for an act (never performed it ...) They didn't know whether he'd live or not. They asked to see his scar and he showed it. Their act for tonight is the box switcharoo... He goes in a bag in the box; she locks it up, then stands on top, tosses curtains up, he throws them down, and he gets her out of the box and bag. She comes out of the box in different clothes. All voted yes... They're in.

Apparently, a lot of (bad) impersonators... Rod Stewart (No)... Cindy Lauper (NO!)... George Bush imiator (bad material)... Elton John (messed up)... Dionne Warwick (a GUY! Has the look, but lip-syncs, and voice is low. No...)

An Elvis impersonator... A VERY young Elvis! (23yo Joseph Hall from Lincoln, NE). Leather jumpsuit... He's got the voice... Not bad on the dancing... He does "Hound Dog" ... The audience LOVES him (especially the ladies). They have to quiet the audience. Piers said he normally hates Elvis impersonators - most are Elvis in his last years, fat and balding... But he likes this guy. Sharon said he doesn't need to do anything but "stand there". She said she has shoes older than him, but she'd like to try him on. It's yes all the way... He's in.

He's the last one. If I had to pick, it'd be Chellina, Next to None (N2N), the ones on the Russian bar, and the DC Cowboys. But BOY... There wasn't really a clear-cut in this one, far as I'm concerned... I will have to wait until we see them again to judge.

I hope this helps you all!

America's Got Talent 2008 - Episode #1

I haven't posted for a while... I've been looking for a job and on a site called Answerbag (http://www.answerbag.com/), helping people, and having some fun. Be careful if you go... It's addicting!

Anyway, one of the summer shows I've been anticipating started tonight... and I thought I'd post about it.

America's Got Talent (http://www.nbc.com/Americas_Got_Talent/) is on for a new season. If you remember, last year, Terry Fator (http://www.terryfator.com/) won last year... They JUST said that he JUST signed a $100 Million contract in Vegas, making him the highest paid reality show winner of all time. Wonder who it'll be THIS year... Time to find out!

Ok... We're in New York then Chicago (I'm not sure where it switched over)... We've seen about 5 people or so (they kinda skimmed over a few without showing much of them). One was an 18yo kid who could hook his tongue under his chin, touch his eye with it, etc. He didn't make it (TG!), but I'll bet HE will be getting a lotta calls from girls, which was PROBABLY why he went on. (He COULDN'T have thought that "talent" was worth $1M, except to the right woman! LOL)

And the best one, so far is a guy that "played trombone" to "Bad Girls" and danced like crazy. Sad to say, he's the best they've had, so far!

And now comes Indigo... a pair of Romanian twins who sang "New York New York", and THEY PASSED... Heck, DAVID said "No" and PIERS said "Yes". What's up with that?

Oh... I think I know... They have to have a number of acts who COULD do better to vote off if they don't, so the GOOD acts can stay in another week. Ah... THAT makes sense. Whew! Glad I remembered they did pretty much the same thing last year and the year before. So far... No top winners from MY point of view.

Time for Nuttin' But Stringz, a couple of brothers who play violin. I liked the violin/dancing part... The rap was questionable, but not bad. And they are in.

A quick four going to Vegas before the commercials, and ... I DO hope we see more of them AFTER the commercial... They looked pretty good. GOTTA make up for that first batch, and they haven't, so far! Guess not... Maybe we'll see more of them in Vegas.

An 80yo grandma who tap-dances. Piers and David said "no"... Thank God!

A 4yo (JUST turned 4!) Kaitlin (sp?) singing "Somewhere Out There". She remembered all the words and hit most of the notes. The NY audience was completely quiet for the whole song. And she's IN... All three voted yes.

Slippery Kittens - A burlesque group of mothers doing the Can-Can, trying to show "burlesque with class". They jump-editted a LOT during their act, but we saw enough to know there was a LOTTA underwear being shown, especially at the end, when some of the girls dropped their dresses, leaving them in panties. One of their dreams is to go overseas and perform for the troops. I would think there might be a RIOT if they did! LOL - They made it.

There follows a montage of acts that didn't make it (deservedly so). The audience is getting ugly!

A boy (young man) baton twirler (baton with flaming ends). And he did great. He's in. I hope he's got more to his act. They get upset when the people do the same acts (see Quick Change - BTW: I've seen them a number of times since, and except for a couple of the dresses, they STILL do the same act, and STILL no one can figure out how).

And now we're in LA.

A guy who impersonates Britney Spears. Make up was decent. Voice was high. He just danced to one of her songs. He made it.

Montage - A girl doing hoola-hoop dancing, cloggers, a 15yo who sang, Sick Step (a dance troup) - All in.

A group of Dance Teachers - Dallas Dance Company - No. More dancers... No.

Then, a group from 13-26 people, dancers - Extreme Dance FX - mixing contemporary dance and traditional clogging... The crowd was behind them... Piers didn't like the costumes and said they were a bit boring toward the end... The others liked them (the dancing), and they're in.

Neal E. Boyd, insurance salesman - Opera Singer - This is the guy we see in the commercials. He's doing it for his mother, and her sacrifices. VERY emotional when he talks about his mother. He starts, and the audience applauds. He goes on... The audience stands... The judges and audience give him a standing ovation. Of COURSE, he goes.

Neal E. Boyd - He's the front-runner at this point, far as I'm concerned.