Make a wish.

For the last several weeks, my life has pretty much been consumed by work, and unfortunately this week is no different.

I had to go into work on Saturday, so I had a hard time getting my act together for Lauren's birthday party on Sunday. I didn't even realize until everyone had left that I had forgotten to put out ice cream with the birthday cake as well as the cute party hat shaped cookies that Lauren and I had made the night before. Worst of all, I didn't take hardly any photos, and the ones I did take came out lousy. I'm pretty sad about it, but what can you do? I was especially looking forward to getting photos of the three of us together like we had done on her previous birthdays, but it wasn't meant to be. Maybe we will fake a birthday photo shoot this weekend. Until then, I offer a few decent photos of the decorations that I made and of Lauren's birthday cake.







***Begin American Idol mutterings***

Well, this was the week that I always knew would come. Eventually, whether he won American Idol or was voted off, Jason Castro was going to leave my television screen. Surprisingly, I couldn't be more relieved about it.

These past few weeks have been heartbreaking. I was concerned that having to tackle two songs a week in addition to the Idols' jammed packed schedule was going to take its toll on Jason, and unfortunately, my worries proved correct. You could tell through his performances that Jason felt in over his head (Which he confirms in his interviews with the press). Just like me forgetting the ice cream, it's hard to be at your best when you just have too much going on at once. In his Top 20 interview package, Jason talked about how surprised he was about how much non-music stuff that they had to do. At this point, he said something that was so endearing that it completely sold me on him: "I just really like to sing and I like music and everything that has to do with music." That was his strength and his downfall. I think the Idol machinery was bringing him further and further away from what he loved to do, and it showed in his performances.



After watching Jason slip further each week, I couldn't even enjoy the other contestants performances. I just wasn't having fun anymore, and no amount of iTunes downloads were worth keeping him around. Although I voted for him every week since Top 20, I couldn't bring myself to do it on Tuesday. Not because I loved Jason any less, on the contrary, I just couldn't contribute to his undoing anymore. I didn't want him to become the joke contestant that overstayed his welcome. I wanted him to be remembered for all his great performances, and even though people forget that fact so easily, there were many.

When I first became a fan, I never could have predicted that I that I was getting invested in such a controversial contestant. Jason Castro has pretty much ruined American Idol for me, because thanks to him, I will never enjoy another season more than I have this one. I hope Jason goes on to pursue music and share what he has to offer, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he faded back into anonymity. Because after all, that's what made Jason so appealing. He was just one of us.

Now I direct my obsessive compulsive behavior on something else, like Lost. At least I know that Sawyer won't be voted off the island.