Presidential Moves

Oddly enough, this reminds me of Doran.

Billboards

Traveling down the road, we run into some weird billboards:








**Actually, all credit goes to Dan for forwarding these to me.

AI

I am not a huge fan of TV shows. I enjoy ESPN and Fox News and that's about it. Ever since "Everybody Loves Raymond" went off the air, there's not much good available. I just don't spend a lot of time channel surfing trying to navigate through the junk that's on TV. However, there is one show that I will watch somewhat faithfully and it kicks off this time of year: American Idol. I admit it, I actually enjoy the competition (if you can call it that). I pick my favorites early-on and tune in to see how they do. I cheered on Melinda Doolittle last year (and by the way she was, hands-down, the best in the competition) and Taylor Hicks the year before that. This is my third year to watch the show. I didn't have a chance to watch the 12 women last night, but I did get a chance to catch the 12 guys on Tuesday. There are some great voices. So far, I'm really liking David Archuleta. He's hilarious in addition to having a voice much bigger than his 17 years.

There is a weird trend among some of the top 12 guys, though. A few of them are projecting a strange gay vibe in their interviews, attire, and performance. Not cool. I haven't noticed this in the last few years. Bring back Daughtry.

All Shook Up

Well, things have been shaking out here in the west. Literally. This morning about 7:16 AM an earthquake shook things up near Wells, NV about 265 miles from us. It measured about 6.0 on the Richter scale. I hear that some of my friends in the Twin Falls area (about 110 miles from us) had stuff falling off the walls and such. At 7:16 AM I was still laying on my Tempur-pedic mattress and didn't feel a thing. Those Tempur-pedic commercials must be factual.

To recap...

It's been a while since I've posted, so in no particular order are a few observations and comments:

• The IU and Purdue college basketbally rivalry is back. Last night's game had that same intensity that the late-80's and early-90's contests featured. And, yes, we won. Thank you D.J. White.
• Why is Mike Huckabee still running? I don't get it. Are people still sending money his way? Note to Mike: it's over. I still wonder what would have happened with a Huckabee nomination.
• Has anyone else noticed that Hillary's slide began around the same time Bill started taking over the campaign with his magnetic personality? Side-note: magnets do erase hard drives. I'd like to hear the conversations that are going on in the Clinton living quarters. "Bill, I'm going to ask you to campaign for me in North Dakota."
• After dissing on the Dove Awards and their egregious Southern Gospel awarding, they go and get it right. This is the first time in a long time that I have agreed with most of their nominations. Go figure. For a full list of nominations, visit the Dove Awards website.
• The Hoppers CD, The Ride, is becoming one of my favorite CDs released in 2007. After their exiled time in the Spring Hill caverns, they have once again taken ownership of their productions. The overall lyrical strength of the album is above and beyond anything produced in their Spring Hill days. They also have produced a companion live DVD entitled The Ride: Live in Wilmington (I think; I left it on the bus). This video is the first Southern Gospel production that rivals the Gaither Homecoming series in the camera quality, lighting, etc. They're baaaaack!
• I'm really enjoying a Christmas present from Lori: An Inconvenient Book by Glenn Beck. It's a very easy read, but in the midst of the humor and ADD moments expected from Beck you're going to be educated on the global warming fallacy, the danger of radical Islam fundamentalism, and the emptiness offered by today's gargantuan pornographic industry. That's just an overview of the chapters I've read so far. Go buy it!
• What change is Obama talking about? He's been really abstract so far.
• Just saw The Jumper. It's OK, nothing more. Plot is pretty weak. I was a little disappointed. After the Bourne series, I expected more of the same. Not so.
• Liberty had a fantastic weekend. I love Arizona. I now know where I'm going to go in the winter when I'm 55.
• Our new CD, Say It Again, is now out. It's definitely our version of a "table project", but it's a fun listen. We cover "I Can See the Hand", "Ride That Glory Train", and "Temporary Home" among others. One of the most popular (in concert) songs on the recording is "Light at the End of the Darkness". This is an old Imperials song that has a powerful message. It also features a cover of the Mills Brothers "Cab Driver". Actually, Royce re-wrote the lyrics and it's titled "Bus Driver". It's going over big in concert. We've added some "moves". That's a very generous interpretation, especially as it pertains to Doran. The CD also has a song from Doran called "Baritone Whine". The title says it all as Doran try to work up sympathy for his status in the group. Pathetic, really. You can order the CD on our website.
• Guess where I took Lori for Valentine's Day? To the Grace Bible Church OAKS (Older Adult Kids) banquet. Nothing but the best for my wife! Actually, I was asked to emcee the banquet and to sing with our church quartet (consisting of myself, Pastor Dave, Matt Ritchey, Allen Ezell, and pianist Julia Keep). There was a lot of laughter that night. And, Dave and Julia, your attire was just fine! Thanks, Jolene, for inviting us to be part of the banquet. I'm blessed to have such an incredible wife! Lori, I love you!
• Nice try, Jody and Carrie, on hijacking my blog. Ain't gonna happen!
• I'm working on a video page for the Liberty Quartet website with web-guru Jon Plank (erstwhile keyboardist for the now-defunct trio Allegiance). I want to share the crazy stuff that happens behind-the-scenes as we travel around the country. You deserve to know the real Royce Mitchell.
  

That's about it. I hope you've had as much fun as I have the last week and a half.