Idol contestants mediocre so far

A few weeks ago, I told myself as well as other people I wasn’t going to get drawn into this season of “American Idol.” I was sucked in last season and well, I have to admit I was sucked in again.

As I’ve been watching the show this season, I’ve been disappointed with a lot of the performances. Like Simon Cowell said last week, the judges are looking for someone who would be a good recording artist. There are maybe three people out of the new bunch that have that potential.

I watched the guys perform last night and I enjoyed David Hernandez's “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” the best. He looked like he was enjoying himself and he had charisma. It’s definitely a song that you can get into or jam out to.

Jason Yeager’s “Long Train Running” turned out to be like something you would hear from a cruise ship singer or karaoke in my opinion.

I think Chikezie is a good singer but the song he chose to sing was really boring. He needed to choose something different that would show more of his range and charisma.

Jason Castro’s “I want to be your everything” was boring. I agree with Paula...it would be good to see him without the guitar.

David Cook, who sang “All Right Now” was leaning on guitar playing too much. I wanted to hear more singing and the band seemed like they carried him I thought cook was overstepping his bounds with telling Simon that he had to win the crowd over.
Luke Menard sang Queen’s “Killer Queen.” I see him as someone that would be in a musical instead of someone who would have an album out.

Robbie Carrico sang “Hotblooded.” I agree with Randy. “Didn’t have that umph.” To be a rocker, you need to have a lot of power in your songs and have confidence. I didn’t see either.

Michael Johns sang “You can go your own way.”Again, the singer needed to have more power, especially while singing a Fleetwood Mac song.

Danny Noriega sang “Superstar.” It was kind of forgettable and just average.

David Archuleta's "Imagine" was decent. I think he's a good singer but I didn't like the song choice for him.

Winter storms are annoying

When you’re in school, a winter storm is very welcome. It usually means a snow day which leads to sleeping in or playing in the snow with siblings and friends.
Antietam and Exeter had early dismissals on Feb. 12. Several schools in The Southern Berks News coverage area had closings Feb. 13: Daniel Boone Area School District and Berks Christian School. Antietam and Exeter had two hour delays on Feb. 13.
Now because of the real world, when I hear about a winter storm, I have anxiety. Questions roll through my mind like “When is it going to start?” “How bad are driving conditions going to be?”
With the Feb. 12 storm that didn’t end until the next day, I decided to stay home.
Tomorrow we’re supposed to get another winter storm and I have a lot of anxiety about that because I have to cover a basket bingo fundraiser and Monday I lay out the paper.
I can't wait for spring to come. I like being able to enjoy the outdoors and go to parks. The outdoors aren't as fun to me when you have to bundle up in layers. I am thankful that the sun is starting to set later.

Life of Crime for a 76-year-old?

This week's issue of Feb. 6 features a story about some burglary victims getting their belongings back. Well, some of their items. Their high-end jewelry was not found. Big surprise there.

According to police, a 76-year-old man, Kermit Gabel, allegedly stole these items that Exeter Police displayed on Feb. 1 and Feb. 2 for victims.

If Gabel, a.k.a. "The Silver Burglar" (for allegedly taking silverware) had been a burglar all of his life, do you realize how sad that is? It's sad choosing to do things that mess with people's feelings and memories instead live a life of freedom. It makes me think about the decisions that people make that shape their lives. And how people fall into this lifestyle of crime.

I was happy to find out that a lot of burglary victims were able to find their belongings. I'm sure it gives people a lot of relief too.