- Listen. I’m a nerd. I really am. And maybe that’s part of the reason why I fell head over heels for this interactive vote-for-your-favorite-Oscar-dress thingy. Something about being able to drag and drop each dress into its appropriate place – well, it delighted me.

- This post of Travis’ – well, just read it. That’s all I can say.

- My friend Shaun has a knack for expressing deep truths in ways that make me say, “YES. THAT.” His latest post is no exception.

- I’m still working on my springtime soundtrack, and Tuesday night I bought a CD that’s sure to have a firm place in this spring’s listening rotation: Hymns: Some Glad Morning by Cindy Morgan. It is an acoustic, folksy treasure. Absolutely beautiful.

- I loved Lindsey’s post about blogging the first time I read it. But what I didn’t anticipate is how I would continue to think about it. Great food for bloggy thought.

Just FYI: this afternoon when I was cooking supper I watched Crystal Bowersox’s most recent performance again. And I watched it not once, not twice, but THREE times.

And quite frankly I’m wondering if any of the guys can top it.

Guess we’ll find out over the next hour.

Lee Dewyze – “Fireflies” – I’m such a fan of his voice. I thought he was a little pitchy at the beginning of this song but really started to work it out when he hit the chorus. Can’t wait to see what he does in the theme weeks – I think his arrangements will have some interesting twists and turns. Also: he’s reminding me a little bit of Kris Allen in terms of how his confidence has increased by leaps and bounds over the last couple of weeks – that’s fun to see.

Alex Lambert – “Trouble” – One of the greatest songs ever – and probably Alex’s best performance so far. He is insanely talented, and when I hear his voice I cannot believe he’s 19 years old. But I really, really want to cut his hair. It won’t take me five minutes. Seriously. Just a quick cut. And America will thank me.

(Sidenote: raise your hand if you cried a single tear when Kara implored him to “Be you. Let go.” Because I totally cried a single tear. And then I held a single yellow rose and wistfully plucked the petals as I repeated Kara’s inspirational words: “Be you. Let go. Be you. Let go.”

Tim Urban – “Hallelujah” – Oh, if you’re gonna tackle this song, you’d better have some serious musical chops. And you know what? He really surprised me. There were a couple of moments where the lyrics sounded awkward, but I felt like he really rose to the occasion. And I was happy for him. Because like Didi last night, I think he bought himself some AI time.

Andrew Garcia – “Genie In A Bottle” – I give him big points for originality. The end of the song was actually my favorite – the little bit of a cappella there at the end was what I wish there had been more of in the arrangement. It seemed like it was in the wrong key – like he started off too high, almost. There was a little bit too much going on with the guitar, and I wish he pulled back a little. Maybe a blues-y version would have worked better? Regardless, I hope he makes it to next week.

Casey James – “You’ll Think of Me” – Listen. Casey James can flat-out sing a ballad. Yes. Yes he can. And that’s all I have to say about that.

Aaron Kelly – “I’m Already There” – This was maybe a little show-y for me. A little too earnest. And when you combine those two things with the fact that it was pretty rough vocally – well, it seemed like the song was too big for him. Good for him, though, for being such a competent performer at such a young age. Hard to believe he’s 16.

Todrick Hall – “Somebody To Love” – Between George Michael’s version and the Glee version – not to mention the original – this song comes complete with mighty big shoes the very few singers can fill. I thought the falsetto part was almost painful, and it felt completely disconnected from the main part of the song (I’m sure there’s a technical term for that – I just don’t know it). The song is infectious, though, and I actually enjoyed the more soulful parts. But I didn’t like the over-the-top background vocals; I thought they were a distraction.

Michael Lynche – “This Woman’s Work” – BRILLIANT song choice. And that was some falsetto. I was such a fan of this song way back when Kate Bush first recorded it (my friend Bubba and I used to ride around and sing it over and over and over), and I thought the R&B take on it was inspired. His very best performance so far – it was A Moment. Loved it a million times. And you’d better believe that I will download it tomorrow.

What did y’all think about tonight’s show? I think Aaron and Todrick may be in trouble, but Michael Lynche is here to stay, my friends. He may have even topped Crystal. And that is some high praise indeed.

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This is the point in the competition when I think we really start to see who has a chance to win this thing – and who doesn’t. And because of that, I’m sometimes tempted to fast forward through the contestants who will probably be gone in a week or two or three.

But tonight I will resist the temptation and soldier through every single performance because I am just that selfless.

Not to mention obsessive.

Katie Stevens – “Breakaway” – She did what the judges suggested last week and picked a song by a younger singer, but I don’t know, dog – it was a little pitchy for me. It was a lot pitchy, in fact. She has a big voice, and she seems to be finding her way in terms of wardrobe and stage presence and whathaveyou, but I felt like she took a couple of steps backward with her vocals this week.

Siobhan Magnus – “House of the Rising Sun” – Siobhan perplexes me. Because on one hand she’s very skilled technically, but on the other hand there’s something about her stage presence that’s a little off-putting. It’s almost like I appreciate her, but I don’t necessarily enjoy her. And to me this song was a wee bit boring. She was pitch-perfect, but somehow I wasn’t interested. And she’s so talented – don’t get me wrong – but there’s a piece of the Siobhan puzzle that I feel like I haven’t found yet.

Lacey Brown – “The Story” – For the first time I feel like she really showed us what’s special about her voice. It was a great song choice, and I thought, “Oh, I GET IT NOW – she has sort of a Susanna Hoffs / Kate Bush thing going on.” And tonight, it totally worked. She wasn’t trying too hard – just doing her thing. Loved it.

Kaitlyn Epperley – “I Feel The Earth Move” – I really liked her performance last week – loaded with feeling, a little moody – but tonight felt more like karaoke. Nothing interpretive, nothing new – just a bland cover of a song that most of us have heard a million times. It was almost too straightforward. I wish there had been a surprise WOW moment in there somewhere, but not this week. I hope she’s still around for another chance in the Top 12.

Didi Benami – “Rhiannon” – Oh, this was absolutely the right song for her. Great interpretation, great vibe, great voice. She reminded me of a young Shawn Colvin, and that is ALWAYS a good thing. I think this was a Big Moment for her. It got a little rough in spots on the chorus, but it was definitely my favorite performance of the night (so far). I feel strangely proud of her.

(And also: I think maybe Ryan has a wee crush on her? Anyone else picking up on that?)

Paige Miles – “Smile” – She was so tentative at the beginning, and then it seemed like she was about a half a beat behind her music once the tempo picked up. This performance was so much more hesitant than what she’s done in other weeks that I almost wondered if she’s having trouble with her voice? Maybe a touch of laryngitis? I want to hug her and bless her heart.

Crystal Bowersox – “Gimme One Reason” – In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that this is one of my favorite songs of all time. And it would be so easy to do a straight cover of this song – because it’s brilliant without a single modification – but Crystal put a very bluesy, original twist on it. She’s so talented. Head and shoulders above the rest of the girls. Didi may have been my favorite tonight, but I think Crystal was the best.

Lilly Scott – “I Fall To Pieces” – This is a song where quirky vocal stylings don’t necessarily work for me, and I thought the whole thing was a little weird. That being said, she probably did enough to make it through to next week.

As far as official predictions? I think Katie and Paige will probably be the two to go, but Kaitlyn didn’t do herself any favors in the Remember Me department.

What did y’all think?

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Random pictures from my phone, as if anyone in the whole world even remotely cares, but that’s certainly never stopped me from sharing before:

I fell in love with these sandals last week when I was in the Steinmarts. Since I sometimes lack confidence in my sandal-related choices, I took a picture and texted it to Melanie to make sure that they were in fact cute. Mel affirmed my choice, but alas, it was all for naught: they were fresh out of 9s.

It is, quite simply, brilliant. Ten or fifteen flavors of self-serve yogurt along the right wall. At least fifty toppings along the left wall. A veritable mountain of yogurt-related possibilities. Make no mistake: Yogurt Mountain will change your life.

This is the second picture I took of Merritt after we finally escaped from “Valentine’s Day.” I think I like it better than the first one. She looks so thoughtful.

So here’s my current favorite side dish. Snap the ends off of a bunch (or two) of fresh asparagus. Put the asparagus on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and fresh lemon juice (half a lemon). Sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper (to taste). And then – AND THEN –

Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top (or you can use, as Giada says, “parmeezhana-reggzheeano”). Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes (a little less if you like your asparagus super crunchy).

It’s tastier than any green vegetable deserves.

I saw this infomercial on TV one afternoon when I was cooking supper, and I immediately snapped a picture and sent it to a friend of mine who shares my love of “The Carol Burnett Show.” Honestly, I don’t know when I’ve felt more tempted to order an infomercial product – I mean, what could be better than having Mrs. Sa-Wiggins and Eunice hang out with us every single day? I resisted, though. Mainly because of a time in my 20s when I ordered some VHS tapes about relationships and COULD NOT MAKE THEM STOP SHOWING UP IN MY MAILBOX NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRIED.

You’ll be happy to know David took out the fancy stereo and replaced it with my old one. When he finished the re-installation, he walked inside, smiled, and said, “Well, I’m sorry that I tried to give you a nice stereo for your car.”

“It’s totally fine,” I replied. And then I went outside and sat in my car and sang “Reunited” while I gazed lovingly at all the buttons I actually know how to operate. Glory.

The end.

So.

This past weekend I went way (waaaaaay) outside of my comfort zone and spoke (briefly) at a conference in Atlanta, and if you’re thinking, “Um, you’re not a speaker – you’re a blogger,” YOU’RE EXACTLY RIGHT. I’m not a speaker. I’m not even close to one. But a friend of mine asked me to “share” for about 20 minutes, and I did, and I survived. And afterwards I went to Dreamland BBQ with my fellas and PUT DOWN some barbecue chicken.

Also, Alex ordered a bowl of the Dreamland macaroni and cheese, and he loved it so much that I am almost certain that if we had been in the privacy of our home, he would have picked up that bowl and licked it clean.

And I would’ve been so proud.

Anyway, we got home yesterday afternoon, and I immediately set about the business of trying to catch up on TV. I missed all of the Thursday night shows that aren’t on Bravo (just sayin’), so I tried to plow through as much as possible while a certain six year-old was having some room time. To his utter chagrin there was no Dreamland macaroni and cheese available during room time, but hey. Life is hard. And it’s best if he learns at a young age that cheesy, starch-laden foods don’t grow on trees. Or bunk beds, as it were.

So while I was playing catch-up yesterday afternoon and last night after A. went to bed, I realized that I have a veritable overflow of tv-related thoughts. With your blessing, I will share them at this juncture.

Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.

- “Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains” is absolutely brilliant. When I finished last week’s episode, I CHEERED OUT LOUD, even though I really like the person who was voted off. Most of the contestants are just so dadgum smart, and it’s ever-so-much fun to watch them balance the physical game and the social game. My favorites are Colby and Boston Rob. In case you were wondering.

- The Oklahoma cowboys on “Amazing Race” are straight-shooters who are loaded with common sense. Delightful to watch.

- I don’t enjoy “Project Runway” nearly as much since it moved to Lifetime. I don’t know why. The show is still entertaining, but since Lifetime is a network that I rarely watch, I don’t feel at home there. And yes, I recognize that I sound ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. But it’s how I feel. I CAN’T FIGHT THESE FEELINGS.

- One of our favorite shows right now is “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” on Food Network. Ohmylands. Have y’all seen it? Each episode has a theme – like chocolate or guilty pleasure or pizza or breakfast – and chefs / food personalities (there’s a term that wasn’t around 20 years ago: “food personalities”) describe their absolute favorite dish in whatever the category happens to be. It’s fun to hear about different restaurants around the country, but more than that it’s downright infectious to hear a bunch of foodies rave about what they think is the perfect burger or surf and turf or street food. Such a treasure.

- This past Friday night I saw “Who Do You Think You Are?” on NBC, and I thought it was totally intriguing. Maybe it’s because I have a daddy who’s a genealogy buff, but it was so interesting to see someone (in this case, Sarah Jessica Parker) put together all the different parts of her family tree. I’m definitely adding this show to our DVR line-up; I think it would be so fun to watch as a family.

Okay. I believe that’s all. Except that this morning I woke up with a really sore foot, almost like I’d sprained it, but the only thing I could’ve done to sprain it would have been 1) driving 2) watching the Oscars or 3) sleeping. But then I remembered that last night I put on some flip-flops in anticipation of spring’s arrival, and I walked around in them for a little while because, well, as y’all know, breaking in a pair of flip-flops takes some practice.

And do you know what? I honestly think I pulled a muscle in the top of my foot when I was wearing the flip-flops. IS THAT NOT ASTOUNDING? Clearly THE WHOLE WORLD IS A HAZARD.

Be careful out there, my friends.

And p.s. – This post of Kristen’s is well worth your time. So, so good.