Cecilyinmemphis’s Weblog

Oh Joshua, you stole the show at the beginning at your audition and have captivated everyone ever since.  Although you were not my favorite to win, it certainly seems that you were most deserving.  There was not one routine that you were given that you did not give 100% to, and most if not all were really enjoyable. 

 I just loved how cute he was with his braces and booty and his back story of how he used to pretend to be Michael Jackson was adorable!!!  When it came down to him and Twitch, I had a feeling that it was going to be Joshua (although there was a part of me that felt for Twitch and how far he had come). 

Last night’s finale was really, really good and it felt like good closure to the whole season.  I was really impressed with Nigel and Mary Murphy, who are REALLY good dancers (for their age and all) and it got me thinking that it would be neat to see all the dancing judges dance.  I would especially like to see Tabitha and Nap. do their thing, as well as Mia.  I liked the where are they now montage and the best of SYTYCD dance, but I wish they would have spent more time with that element.

Out of the two special guests, I enjoyed the Wade Robson bunny routine (it was SO him) but I didn’t care for the Jonas Brothers (aka-Hansen with dark hair)  but that is probably because I am nearly 28 and only knew of them through people.com.  I’m glad they showcased the best routines, with Katee featured the most because she had great routines throughout the whole season.

As usual, it is always a let down at the end where Cat says “See you next year” and it is over.  But I’m so glad that a hip-hop dancer with a big heart, big smile and a big booty took the title.  I don’t know how I will fill the void of dancing, but I still refuse to watch Dancing with the stars.  Although people swear by it, it feels so mediocre next to SYTYCD.  I’ve seen it before, when Stacy Keibler was on it because the husband thinks she is one of the hottest women alive, but I just didn’t like it as much.  There are C and D list celebrities trying to make a comeback and the dances just don’t seem as challenging or fun as SYTYCD.  My opinion, but when comparing the two, there is no contest. 

Shows I am excited about this fall…The Office, Supernatural (!!!!!!!!), Lost (although that might not be until the spring).

Diet update:  down to 132…slowly but surely.  Three pounds in one month isn’t that bad I guess.

Top 4!!  Top 4!!  Top 4!!  Last night, I must have voted more times than I ever have…and the dancers I voted for?  Well, after last night’s amazing show, the two biggest stand outs were…Twitch and Katee.

I loved the show last night.  It was, by far, the best show of the season, with all the routines (with the exception of one, sort of…explanation later) blowing me away.  It started out with the Twitch and Courtney crazy-ex girlfriend dance, which was really cute and fun, and the music seem to fit the dance perfectly (as NapTab usually do).  The Katee/Joshua routine by Wade Robson was my second favorite dance of the night, and if you look it up on YouTube, I think it is called Lyrical instead of Contemporary.  So glad Wade came back again this season, and the routine of two tortured people going through a rough patch was so raw and painfully honest, it almost brought tears to my eyes.

The girls duet was cute, Tyce usually has a way of bring that out, and it was a lot of fun.  I liked what the judges said about Katee dancing every move through the tips of her fingers and toes…after watching the show again, she really does.

The men’s duet, Twitch and Joshua, was completely unexpected and SO MUCH FUN!!!  I would have never thought that two hip-hop dancers would be dancing a Russian dance in the top 4, but it was fun and original and their facial expressions were priceless, especially Joshua.  It really showed they deserved to be in the top 4.

The ballroom dances were good, especially the fox trot with Twitch and Katee…it was beautiful and graceful, and more than I expected from Twitchers.  The jive, however, could have been really really good except Joshua and Courtney looked SO t i r e d.  Really, you could tell just how exhausted they were and I do not blame them.  What an incredibly difficult show it must have been.  Plus, I really hated her boots.

The final number was by far my favorite routine.  It was so beautiful and inspiring and celebratory.  The music was surprisingly catchy and the movement was so incredible, I had to watch it several times.  I really enjoyed the whole night.

The solos were also fantastic, and by the end of the night, I really really wanted Twitch to win.  Every time I saw his big smile and watched him dance, you could tell that he wants this more than anyone else on the show.  I fully believe that.  I really hope he wins.

Overall, the best show of the season.  I can’t wait for tonights show to see how it all goes down.  Loved it.  The whole thing.

I don’t know about ya’ll, but when I see this (or a derivative of it), a mild panic attack knocks me on my butt.  I HATE moving, and the sad thing is, I have moved approximately 14 times in 27 years and have lived in 7 different states.  I have moved more times than any normal person should, and most of the moving was done on my own after I graduated high school.  I was born in the state of Pennsylvania even though we lived in Ohio (right on the border), and then after living in West Virginia for a few years, we moved to Maryland were we lived until I finished high school.  That summer, my family moved to Connecticut, and then 3 weeks later I moved to Greenville, NC to attend East Carolina University.  During the time I went to ECU, I moved into an apartment, then into my own apartment, and then into another apartment with roommates.  That summer, after I graduated, I moved back to Connecticut, then 3 months later moved to Richmond, VA for grad school.  During grad school, I moved another time from 2 roommates to 1, then moved in with my husband a year later.  The next summer, we moved to Charlottesville, and then next summer we moved here, to Memphis. 

So, this is the first summer in 9 years I am NOT moving, and I am so, so, so overwhelmingly happy about this.  In fact, we won’t be moving next summer either–also very exciting. 

However, I am going to be doing something else this summer.  Changing jobs.  When we moved here, the husband was already set for school and it was up to me to find a good job with good benefits.  Well, I found a job.  And it had benefits.  Neither of them good, but at least something.  Since getting hired there, I spent most of my time looking for another job and it was a struggle.  It wasn’t until last week that I found the perfect job to switch to.  I shouldn’t say perfect, but it seems like a much better fit, better deal, better everything.  Close to home, better hours, but most importantly using my skills and experience AND getting supervision for my LPC, which is my ultimate goal in my career.  Id addition, I will not have to volunteer extra hours to get supervision, which was what I was doing.  I will actually get it at my job.  This is more important than a higher salary or better benefits (which is just an added bonus).  The only difference is I will be working Tuesday-Saturday.  At first, I was worried about this because it was going to take away some time with the husband.  But given this year will be his most difficult year in this program, it may be alright.  He can have the time Saturday to get his work done, and I can have Mondays to get all the errands, cleaning, sorting, other stuff done so that Saturday evening and Sunday, we can have that time to ourselves.

I’m really excited to see how this new job and schedule plays out.  We are moving into our 2nd year here and it seems like the perfect time for changes and new beginnings.  I’m really looking forward to this year.

Yeay, the book finally came out!!  I can’t tell you how strange it felt for me to get THIS excited about a book, to the point where I woke up unnaturally early Saturday and could not wait to get this book.  I had to do some other annoying errands that morning (getting a new comforter because I tried to wash mine and it was totally shredded) and take advantage of tax-free weekend in Tennessee to get a new work outfit (because I got a new job and start in two weeks!!!!).  I finally got to Bookstar (our version of Barnes and Noble) and bought my copy along with a grande iced vanilla skim chai and drove home.  The husband was out of town, and I had cleaned our entire apartment the day before and so I had all day to sit back and read my book, which I did in exactly 7 hours.  In between reading, I had a few phone calls from parents, husband and best friend recovering from a break-up, but besides that, I had this huge block of time to read the book that I had really only been waiting a few weeks for.  Unlike the die hard fans that had been waiting for years for the final book, my anticipation was only recent so I didn’t feel as much pressure for the book not to suck.  I also didn’t have a ton of expectations either. 

And to be honest, I was overall pleased with the book.  If you haven’t read it, don’t read any further, as I do not want to give anything away.  I have also read a few fan reviews of the book, and most were not that pleasant, but I could really see their viewpoint.  Here is what I liked:

Since the beginning, the first book, everyone wanted Bella to end up with Edward.  He hadn’t felt the kind of love he felt for her for 90 some years and when he finally met her and experienced that level of love, you couldn’t help but want them to end up together, forever, as happy as they were at the beginning (you know, after he got over wanting to kill her).  And she, being a young girl, obviously fell completely head over heels for him and felt that first love feeling that is one of the most amazing feelings in the world.  Yet, logically, she also met someone else whom she felt other feelings for (Jacob) and questioned this initial first love.  We’ve all been there.  Do we go with the one who loves us the most and who we loved first, or do we see what else is out there?  The triangle continued for the 3 books and by the time the fourth book arrived, I desperately wanted Bella to choose Edward, become a vampire, and for them to live a completely amazing existence together, feeling the same fire and electricity that they felt when she was a human.  That was the only way for the book to go, in my own opinion.  So, I was happy when that happened.  The whole baby thing was interesting, and unexpected, but was such a key part of the book that it made sense at the end. 

Part of me was hoping that Jacob would have imprinted on Leah, because it seemed like it was going that way, but instead it was with Bella and Edwards child with the funny but meaningful name.  Stranger things have happened, and Quil imprinted on a 2 year old, so it wasn’t that shocking. 

In the end, it really did seem like everyone was content and happy in the book, and sometimes a drama free plot is refreshing.  I’m glad that Stephenie Meyer wrote the books the way that she wanted to.  I enjoyed reading it, and I really cannot wait for the movie Twilight and the book written from the persepctive of Edward Cullen.