I haven’t been able to access my blog all day long because of some server-type issues, and I probably would have been more eager to troubleshoot the whys and wherefores of that particular situation if I hadn’t been so busy playing Cruise Director for a couple of high-energy five year-olds.

Because as you probably know, five year-olds aren’t really content to watch some shuffleboard matches over on the Lido Deck and then call it a day.

So we spent most of this fine Friday having a big, fun time with Alex’s buddy C., and then our little family-o-three went to our favorite Chinese restaurant for supper, and then we went to Blockbuster to pick out a movie.

You can’t even imagine how pumped I am to tell you that we rented the new Backyardigans DVD. It’s gonna be SO STINKIN’ AWESOME, Y’ALL.

That Pablo. I’ll tell you what. He is a STITCH.

But before I move into the next phase of my Friday night plans (do I join Alex in the playroom for the Backyardigans feature presentation? do I sit here and watch David play a Top Spin 2 Wimbledon match against Lleyton Hewitt on the Xbox? do I sneak into the guest room and turn on HGTV and cross my fingers that there’s a House Hunters Memorial Day weekend marathon? do you wonder how I can even stand all the non-stop excitement around here?), I do have a question for you, internets.

Well, really I have a scenario. And I’m hoping you can offer some suggestions.

Next Wednesday night D’s men’s group buddies are coming over for the last session of the Bible study they’ve been doing this spring, and I have offered to provide all manner of hearty foodstuffs for the evening.

The catch, however, is that I won’t actually be here because my little man and I are leaving Wednesday morning to go see the grandparents in Mississippi.

So do any of you have any good, make-ahead appetizer recipes that would be pleasing to a bunch of menfolk? Something that I could leave in the refrigerator and that wouldn’t require that David to do much more than 1) remove some aluminum foil or 2) heat the appetizer in the oven for a short amount of time?

I’m at a loss – especially because it’s getting hot and everything I think of just sounds too heavy or too Superbowl-ish for this time of year.

Can’t wait to read your suggestions – y’all are always so kind to come to the rescue during my culinary times of need.

And just FYI? I’m in the guest room now. About to turn on the television. And hoping against all hope that Suzanne Whang will be there to greet me.

My life. It is very fancy indeed.

Hope y’all have a great weekend.

Today was the little man’s last day of four year-old kindergarten.

I will now pause to sigh deeply. Because of the flying of the time and whathaveyou.

And in light of yesterday’s tragedy, I’m sure many of us have been holding our babies – no matter how old they are – a little closer today. Let’s continue to keep the Chapman family in our prayers.

We’re just now making our way through the American Idol finale, and as far as I’m concerned the only way to watch the AI finale is on the DVR with remote in hand.

Because I don’t know if y’all noticed, but there is a good bit of filler in the last show.

No, really. There is.

But contrary to past final results shows, there were actually a few parts of this one that I loved.

I would now like to tell you about those parts, oh thank you.

– Seal – I adore Seal. So it was big fun for me to hear him sing “Waiting For You,” which I used to play all the time in the car when Alex was a baby because, well, I’d been waiting for him. And the song seemed appropriate.

– Carly and Michael’s duet – SWEET MERCY, if those two had been singing together during the entire competition, they’d have won hands-down. I kinda wish they’d become an official duo – the sum is greater than its parts, you know? I thought they were phenomenal.

– The Pips – Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr. doing some sort of choreographed background dancing? COUNT ME IN, I WILL SEE YOUR MOTION PICTURE.

– Chikeze – IHAVEMISSEDHIMSOMUCHICAN’TEVENTELLYOU. Loved hearing him sing on the George Michael medley, which, by the way, was actually a really engaging medley because the songs are still so good.

– Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. George Michael – I think “Praying For Time” is a brilliant song, and I don’t think anyone sings it better than he does. I had chillbumps right down to my toes during his whole performance. And I will be watching it again in just a few minutes.

SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU LIVE ON THE WEST COAST, YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT I’M ABOUT TO TALK ABOUT THE WINNER. I FEEL THAT I SHOULD WARN YOU.









– David Cook – HE WON! We were totally surprised and tickled to death. Both Davids are going to have incredible careers, I think, but from my 30-something perspective, it was refreshing to see the guy with a little more experience take the prize, especially in this Disney-saturated musical age (see: Hannah Montana, Jonas Bros., etc. and so forth and so on).

Well done, David the Elder.

Mighty well done indeed.

So. What did y’all think?

If you want to chime in, you know the bloggy drill.

1. Shaw-awn has some nifty info about how you can become more involved with Compassion through blogging. Pretty cool stuff.

2. And speaking of Compassion, there’s a brand-new Compassion Bloggers website. Once you click over, you can find info about the upcoming bloggers’ trip to the Dominican Republic. The bloggers still haven’t been selected, so there’s still time to throw your blog into the ring if you’re interested.

I also feel strangely compelled to tell you that I’m the only Uganda blogger whose last name isn’t showing up on the site yet.

And for whatever reason, I’m kind of entertained by seeing me listed with only one name.

Because it makes me feel like Beyonce’.

Or Prince.

Or The Non-Artist Formerly Known As BooMama.

3. Trista needs some information and suggestions from the people who are interested in the Birmingham Bloggers’ Meet-Up / Girls’ Night Out / All-You-Can-Eat-Catfish Party.

(I totally made up that all-you-can-eat-catfish part.)

(But wouldn’t that be delightful?)

By the way, Auburn Gal suggested that we call the get-together BLAWGHER, which cracks me up every single time I think of it.

Because, um, THAT’S PERFECTION.

See y’all later!

This has to be quick because I’m about to meet some friends for lunch, but there is one very important-yet-simultaneously-inconsequential thing I want to share with you before I forget:

I still haven’t really gotten the hang of posting on Twitter, but I am increasingly fascinated with reading it. And this is after about a year of being on the Twitter fence.

However, I now consider myself a bit of a fledgling Twitter fan.

Because remember? In junior high? When you’d call a friend and say “what are you doing?” and you felt better just knowing that your friend was, oh, writing Rick Springfield’s name all over her notebooks?

THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT TWITTER REMINDS ME OF.

It’s like having access to a junior high party line, only the people on the party line are, you know, grown, and also, they’re not nearly as catty.

So if you Twitter, why not leave your Twitter link in my comments? Make sure you only leave one link – otherwise the spam filter will think you are trying to sell some sort of medicinal product. But if you leave a link, then people can click on that link and follow you and know when you’re writing Rick Springfield’s name on your notebooks.

Only I know you’re not writing Rick Springfield’s name on your notebooks anymore.

Because, DUH, you’re totally into Zac Efron now.

GAH.