Idolicious

Adam Lambert.

From the start of this season's American Idol, I have not wanted to like this guy.

Sure, there was no denying he was a talented singer; but something about him just seemed to grate on my nerves.

Maybe it was his crazy hair or his Emo clothes. Or maybe it was the fact that he wore black eyeliner (which I still find a little odd). It may have even had something to do with his flair for the dramatic because of his musical theater background. I don't know.

Whatever it was, I went into this season with a bias against this guy, convinced that I was never going to like him. I didn't want to like him.

Well.....I guess we can't always get what we want, because I have now done a complete 180, and am officially front-and-center on the Adam Lambert bandwagon. This guy has to be one of the most amazing, unique, and innovative people to ever hit the American Idol stage. He sings with such passion and emotion. Each week of competition, just when I think he can't possibly get any better, he outdoes himself. Every single week (well, excepting country week – Johnny Cash had to have been rolling over in his grave after that performance). I watch in awe, completely dumbfounded, and all I can say is “wow.”

Even Simon Cowell, who can usually barely manage to even crack a smile most weeks, gave Adam a standing ovation a couple weeks back, something that he had never done for any contestant before – ever.

I truly believe that this guy deserves to win. I guess that means I had better start actually voting, lest there be another Chris Daughtry incident.

And while we’re on the subject of Idol……..

So, there is this huge billboard down the street from my apartment, located at the intersection of Pico and Overland. This billboard also happens to be a couple of blocks away from the Fox Studios Lot as well. Every year, when the Final 12 (or 13, this year) contestants have been chosen for American Idol, their pictures are put up on this billboard, with the caption “Who will you choose?” below them. Then, as each contestant is voted off, a big “X” is put over their face, until only one contestant remains. This contestant then gets a whole new billboard, with just their face on it, with the caption “Winner.”

 

I drive by this billboard every day on my way to work, and having lived in LA for a little over 5 years now, I have been witness to 5 cycles of these American Idol billboards. This may sound a little crazy, but I find a strange sort of comfort in watching this billboard's evolution. It's like, you know how some people measure their life passing by seasons or holidays or birthdays; well it seems that I like to measure my life passing by the weekly changes of an American Idol billboard. I love to stare up at the contestants' faces as I zoom by each day, smiling at my favorites and scoffing at the Sanjayas that have somehow managed to amazingly remain. I even find myself getting a little excited each Thursday morning as I see the little man climbing the ladder up to the billboard to paste the "X" over the face of the latest contestant to be voted off.

I know, I'm odd.

But it’s something I’ve come to accept.

Say It, Don't Spray It

I am somewhat of a germaphobe by nature.

Perhaps this is because of all the blood, bacteria, and other biohazards I am exposed to daily at my job. Or, perhaps it relates to the fact that, when I was younger, my mother drilled into my head the warning that I must "NEVER touch the door handle of a public restroom with my bare hand," lest I die a horrible death at the hands of some insidious toilet-related scourge (P.S. I happen to agree with this wholeheartedly. Have you seen how many people still don't wash their hands after going to the bathroom? Yuck!).

Anyway, it is because of this aversion to germs that I have developed my current pet peeve: Automatically-flushing toilets.

I never ever actually sit on a public toilet, even if there are toilet-seat-covers available. If I must use a public restroom, I will use what I like to refer to as the "hanging/squatting method” to empty my bladder. I won't go into detail as to what this method involves, since I'm sure you can already deduce that from the title.

This is a commonly used method amongst most female public-toilet-goers, and though sometimes accidents involving aim and stream flow (down the leg and onto the pants) can happen, it is still much preferable than the alternative of getting one’s pristine but-cheeks anywhere near the contaminated toilet seat.

However, using this method on a toilet that has an automatic flushing sensor proves to be difficult. The stupid sensor seems to only be able to detect bodies that are sitting, not squatting. Thus, they usually choose to flush right in the middle of the entire process, sending a spray of icky toilet water onto my backside, thereby defeating the entire purpose behind this difficult maneuver – preventing one’s self from toilet germs!! Grrrrrr!!

You would think that in a world with such technological advances as the IPhone, TiVo, and GPS devices, they would be able to master something as simple as an automatically-flushing toilet sensor.

Until they do, I am just going to have to hold it.