Disney Day 2

Day 2 was EPCOT for Meg and I. This is only my third time going to Epcot and I still haven't taken the time to do a lot of the hands on things since I am a thrill ride nut I like to focus on rides that go wild and fast. There is so much to do though at Epcot for all ages though so it is something that you cannot miss if you are there for multiple days.

First off it was Spaceship Earth (the big silver ball). This ride is not the most exciting thing in the world, but it is fun and relaxing as you take a journey through the history of human communication. It is a nice slow ride with high educational value. What I find funny is that a lot of the "future" stuff placed in the ride is not so far off from the technology that we currently have. Rating 8.

Then it was off toward the Land and Sea pavilions. We wanted to grab a fast pass for "Soarin" so we could come back to it. Travelers note: Make sure you go to the Land pavilion FIRST to get your fast pass for soarin. We were there at 10:45 and they had already distributed all of the fast passes at the attraction which resulted in a 90 minute wait later in the day. This is the most popular attraction at EPCOT right now so get there early and grab a fastpass or ride it right away. We stopped briefly at "The seas with Nemo & Friends" which is the home to the "nemo" attraction and "turtle talk with Crush" but saw that the line was very long. Traveler's note: Skip the seas early in the day and the lines will die down later.

Since we couldn't get on soarin at the time we went ahead and caught the "living with the land" boat ride. This ride was much better when it had a guide, but the park has resorted to using a track now. Basically it is a ride through how the land flourishes in various environments followed by a short trip through the Disney greenhouses which shows a lot of neat stuff about plants and how they grow. This is really a good place for a science lesson. Rating 7.5

After leaving the land pavilion we made a quick stop at the Coca-Cola Club Cool which is a store dedicated to Coke merchandise and a place where you can sample coke products from around the world. Travelers Note: this is a great place to stop periodically throughout the day for a drink as there is no charge for the samples and you can drink as much as you like. There are about 5 different varieties from countries around the world.

Next we grabbed our fastpass for "Test Track" and then headed toward my favorite Disney attraction "Mission: Space." This is my personal favorite because it gives a space case like me to live out a dream of mine. Growing up all I wanted to be was an astronaut and this gives you the chance-although it is not real, you almost have a sense that you are actually travelling in space. There are two versions of this Orange team (more intense) and Green Team (less intense). Basically they put you in a centrifuge and spin you to simulate zero gravity and space travel. Rating 10. Traveler's Note: If you deal with motion sickness avoid the orange team as this is a spinning attraction. If you don't you'll wind up like this...and yes there are motion sickness bags on the attraction.

Also if you are claustrophobic you may want to go with the green team or avoid the attraction all together as it does place you in a very tight spot. Even if you skip the attraction, go to the space base area as there are some really cool games to play and other neat things as well. Megan took on the green team and I of course hit the orange team. I've included a couple pictures to summarize the experience...

After Mission space we had a little time before we could hit Test track so we headed into the World Showcase. This area is a great place to give your children a geography lesson. There are several different pavilions representing countries from around the world. Just like you would expect from Disney, you actually feel like you are in the country. We took in Mexico (which does have an attraction that was being refurbished), Norway (which has a great little short boat ride called Maelstrom-skip the movie at the end though), and China (which has a Circle-vision movie about the country-basically this is a movie where the entire room is a screen and it is a 360 view all around you). We stopped in Germany as it was time to hit Test Track and took the boat across the lagoon to keep from walking as far. There are several more countries and it is well worth walking through them if you get the chance. Traveler's note: The one cool thing about World Showcase is that there are several "Kidcot" stops where your children can make a craft from that country at no charge.

Test Track was our next attraction. It is basically a walk through how they test cars before you buy them. The queue line is great as you have all the dummies and get to see various tests taking place. The ride itself is a high speed fun attraction where they take you through the various tests the car goes through. Definitely take in this attraction. Rating 9.5

After test track we headed over to the seas with nemo and friends to catch the ride of the same name. This is brand new at EPCOT and again is a great work of Disney magic. The coolest part is that they have included video footage of the characters from finding nemo right over the aquarium. It is like they are in the aquarium with the fish. AMAZING. Rating 8.5. After that we went to "Turtle Talk with Crush" which is a show where you get to interact with an animated Crush (from the movie) and he answers your questions. Again the magic is amazing. Rating 8.5

We decided again to eat off property so before we left we decided to make the wait for "Soarin" and again let me tell you it is worth it. This attraction is amazing. You take a journey flying across California. I don't want to ruin it for you, but it is better than any film in an IMAX theater you could ever dream of. Again Disney puts you in the attraction. Don't miss this one while you are there. Rating 10+

That about sums our day up at EPCOT. Here are a couple more things to remember. There is so much to do here that is educational and I would advise taking your time doing it, I try to knock a little of each time I go, but definitely plan to spend some time here. Also make sure you wear comfortable shoes as you will do A LOT of walking at EPCOT. That is the only thing I do not like about the park, as it seems it is so spread out. It is a Disney must see though!

Weekly Idol rant 3/28

Okay not a whole lot to say about Idol this week other than this...

Come on people...the hair this time is enough and speaks for itself. How long are we going to keep this joke alive. It's okay to let him go now. He made it into the top 10 which means he'll be on the tour so it is time to put him or me out of his misery. He made a teen girl cry, we can stop voting for him now and SEND HIM HOME! It is getting unbearable.

On another note though, none of the performances really wowed me last night and that concerns me since these are supposed to be the best of the best. It is getting predictable, and I can even almost quote to a "T" what the judges are going to say. Come on Fox switch it up, give us something or you are going to lose some viewers.

Thoughts?

Disney Day 1

Well as always, Disney was amazing. I do not think I'll ever get tired of going there, or not hate having to come home when my time there is over. Perhaps it's childish, but I really do want to move to Orlando someday to work for them. Not to sound corny or use a cliche, but there is just something "magical" about being there. I can't explain it, and it shows among their workers as well. The entire time I was there I only saw one employee who appeared to dislike the job or was having a bad day. Everyone else was always happy to help and was willing to go the extra mile to make someones dream come true. That's amazing and I think we can learn a lot from that as a church...see my archives from May last year for my thoughts about that whole idea. So having said all of that, here are some thoughts and pictures from our first day there...

We purposely decided to do some things that we have never done at the Magic Kingdom which is where we started (and ended) the week. This included walking through the "Swiss Family tree house" (pretty much a walk through full of props from the movie), "the Enchanted Tiki Room (under new management)" The Liberty Belle" steamboat around Tom Sawyer island, the "Walt Disney World Railroad," and "Jungle Cruise." It is not that I didn't want to do these in the past it was just that we never took the time to do them. I highly recommend "Tiki" which is a classic Disney show that has been updated to include Zazoo and Iago (thus the "under new management"). It is a lot of fun and great for the whole family. The Jungle cruise is also fun especially if you have younger kids and want a break to sit down for a few.

The first major attraction I wanted to hit was of course the newly refurbished "Pirates of the Caribbean." It's pretty much the same storyline, except they have added the Capt'n Jack and Barbossa characters. There is also a pretty wicked intro effect featuring Davy Jones, but I won't ruin it for you. Rating 9.5 out of 10. Don't miss this one! The end result was two happy pirates!

After Pirates, we headed across the way to grab our fast pass for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (BTMR) (Travelers note: Take advantage of Disney's FastPass system. It is free and cuts down on the wait time for rides. You can get one every couple of hours and it allows you to come back at a certain time to ride later without the long wait. ) and then it was on to another of my favorites, the "Haunted Mansion." This of course is still one of the all time classics, and it getting ready to be refurbished, so if you are coming this summer you might want to check Disney's website to see when it starts. This is a great attraction, but can be a little scary to younger kids at times so you might want to preview it as parents first. One thing I miss is the way the castmembers used to act "serious" as you were in line. I didn't find that happening this time and it sort of took away the magic this go around. Rating 7.5

Then it was back to BTMR for a quick runaway mine ride. I had forgotten how fun this coaster is. If you can ride it, do it. It is great and of course the theming is top notch just like all the other rides at the Magic Kingdom. Rating 8. Here is a picture of it in case you have never ridden it.

After BTMR, we grabbed a fastpass for "Splash Mountain" which would be another first for me and it was off to Fantasyland for "Mickey's Philharmagic 3D." We did it, not once, but twice. It is one of Meg's favorite attractions and I'll have to admit it is second only to "It's Tough to Be a Bug" as far as I am concerned. Rating 10. It is a must see!

We had a little more time before out fastpass was due so it was on to Meg's absolute favorite boat ride "It's a Small World After All." She of course loves this ride, I tolerate it, mainly because the song haunts you the rest of the day... Meg's response-Sheer joy

My response-a much needed nap

After small world it was back to Splash Mountain. I was a little leery of riding it as I didn't want to be soaked the rest of the night. It isn't bad though and this "song of the south" themed log flume is one of the best I have ever been on complete with my favorite Disney tune "Zip-a-deee-doo-da." Don't miss this especially since the water will cool you off on a hot day. Rating 9.
After Splash Mountain we headed to Cinderella's Castle to see about eating dinner there. It was a no go. Traveler's Note: If you plan to eat at any of the sit down restaurants, plan to make reservations ahead of time. The number is (407) WDW-DINE. Since we couldn't eat there, we caught the new show "Dream along with Mickey." While the music in this show wasn't my favorite, the show itself is exciting because of the location at the castle and they have new animatronic heads on the main characters so Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald, all have mouths that move and eyes that blink making them even more realistic. Rating 7. Finally we headed into Tomorrowland to see how long the wait was for Space Mountain and see if the new "Monster's, Inc." attraction was open and it was. IF YOU SEE ONE THING AT MAGIC KINGDOM SEE THIS! The new "Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor" is one of the coolest attractions I have ever gone through. The attraction picks up right where the movie left off with laughter being the best source for power. The audience enters the laugh floor comedy club where we are greeted by the characters from the movie as well as some new characters. The best part of this attraction is that it is interactive. I won't give away the details, but this is a must see! I am not sure how they pull this one off, but they sure work a lot of magic on this one. The jokes are childish to some extent, but it is by far worth seeing. Rating 10+

Well that sums our day up at the Magic Kingdom. We didn't get everything, but were tired and knew we could come back later in the week. Hope these reviews and thoughts help you for your plans at the Magic Kingdom.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End Exclusive Trailer

So yeah how awesome was this-got to ride the newly refurbished Pirates at the Magic Kingdom AND happened to catch the trailer that premiered last night while checking things this morning. OH YEAH-I'll be there on opening night for sure!

You're from where?

So everyone always teases me that it is inevitable no matter where I go that I will run into someone that I know from somewhere in my past. It happened again today. Meg and I left the Magic Kingdom a little early tonight since we were tired and figured 50 cent wings at BW3's was better than shelling out a bunch of money to eat on Disney property. As we were leaving we were sitting at a traffic light. I looked up at the mini-van in front of us and it had Ohio tags with county number 40 on it. That is Jackson county, which of course is where we lived before we moved down here. Since the light was taking so long I jumped out of the car to see if by chance I recognized the person. I figured they'd either cuss me or laugh one way or the other. Come to find out it was Mike Hill and his family who attend Good Shepherd Wesleyan where I used to work. We had a good laugh, he thought at first that I was coming to "kick his butt," and it was good to catch up with them since we haven't seen them in over two years. So yup, it happened again today, I ran into someone that I know. Does this happen to anyone else?

I'll have pics and summary up soon from our day at the Magic Kingdom including my review of the new Monsters Incorporated Laugh Floor Comedy Club. We were lucky enough to get to check it out today, as I believe it is still in the soft open stage before officially opening soon.

Tips for wary travellers...

Kendra asked me about tips for Disney since she and her husband Eric will be heading there with their two kids this May. I really can't offer a whole lot of tips for families with young kids since I don't have any yet, but here are some general thoughts that I have found helpful when it comes to planning an Orlando/Disney vacation.

1. You don't have a to pay a ridiculous amount of money for a hotel. You can do several things. If you don't mind budget hotels like Days Inn and places like that, you could just come and take a drive up and down International Drive or Highway 192 (Irlo Bronson Memorial hwy) and get a hotel pretty cheap. I on the other hand recommend booking through priceline. Don't use their expedia like service, bid on a hotel by naming your own price. Start low and you can bid again in 24 hours if your price is not accepted. We paid $55 a night and are staying at Amerisuites in a room with a king bed and full kitchenette. If you want the whole resort experience through Disney I recommend the value resorts (which are about the equivalent to a Hampton Inn or so) as opposed to the more expensive resorts. It just depends on your budget. The upside to staying in a Disney resort is that they will give you meal plans for a cost as well as provide transportation. Also if you aren't dead set on staying in the Disney area, the hotels are cheaper if you stay up closer to Universal Studios on International Drive and the cool thing about I-Drive is there are several restaurants with breakfast buffets and things like that (Kendra remember that Ponderosa that we ate at like 3 times? It's still there!
2. Eat a big breakfast. Depending on where you stay you may or may not have a good continental breakfast. If your hotel does not have one or it isn't that great there are several places to eat. Shoney's and Ponderosa are great, but they can be a little pricey since they are in the touristy areas. Eating a big breakfast is the key though as it is expensive to eat in the park (unless you have their meal plan and then it is a pretty good deal). In addition to this, pack a cooler or something and take snack type foods. The parking lots are far away, but the transportation back to your car is worth the time that it would take for the money you would save. We are packing granola bars and stuff like that and then will go back to the car for a sandwich around lunch time. That way you only have to splurge for one meal in the park. It will set you back 10-15 a person for a meal in the park for a sandwich/side/drink.
3. Once you get to the park go to the back of the park first. Everyone starts in the front and works their way around to the back so the lines are shorter in the back of the park earlier in the day. Also make sure you take advantage of the fast passes that Disney offers you can have one every so often and it is worth it on the big ticket rides/attractions as the lines can get long. If you have small kids I highly recommend spending alot of your time in fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom as well as Pooh's tree house. You'll not be lack for things to do there. As it relates to the other parks with kids, each one has some themed areas for younger ones and Animal Kingdom is great because the animals are right there-make sure you check out Kilimanjaro safari. One note about Animal Kingdom though for younger kids, I would not recommend taking them to the "It's tough to be a bug" 4d show as it is pretty intense for the younger ones. It has all the characters from "A Bug's life" but Hopper and some of the special effects can be a bit scary for the younger kids.
4. If you can make it the whole day until late with the kids which may or may not happen or if you are without kids make sure you catch the late night shows at each of the parks. I'll talk about them later this week, but each of them is amazing and I HIGHLY recommend "wishes" at the Magic Kingdom. They begin it with Tinkerbell on a zip line from the top of Cinderella's castle. One night I was there Tink got stuck halfway down the zip line which was hysterical!

So there are a few of my thoughts about Disney, if you have any additional thoughts leave them in comment or if you have questions, let me know I'll try to answer them. Also my good friend Josh has some thoughts from his trips with his family as well so check them out. More to come this week...

DISNEY!!!

Well, tomorrow morning it is off to Disney for the week to forget about the stress and life in general for a few days of hanging with Mickey and the gang. I'll try and post periodically with pictures, but if it's quiet on the ole blog this week you'll know why. I CAN'T WAIT!!! DISNEY HERE WE COME!

weight loss battle 07-9 weeks in

No weight loss to report this week. It was just another so so week. I have been to the gym twice so far this week. I will go again tomorrow in order to get three days in this week, but I am finding that it is harder and harder to get the motivation to go. I think I have realized that I don't like exercise. It's either that or I just haven't found some that I really like yet. Don't get me wrong. I am thankful for the gym and it has helped, but it just seems redundant. I get bored and find myself wanting to quit half way through the circuit when I go. I need to find something else to do to get some more exercise just to switch things up a bit so I don't get bored. I have also started trying to write down everything I eat to keep an eye on calorie intake so hopefully maybe that will help the slump I am in. It's off to Disney next week so I'll get plenty of walking in, I just need to make sure that I don't overdo it on the rich foods and all that-but we are on a tight budget, so that should help some.

Weekly Idol rant-3/13/07

So yeah, another disappointing week so there isn't really a whole lot to say about Idol this week. Even Blake and Chris Sligh had disappointing performances in my book. Of course Melinda and Lakisha were winners, but that seemed about it for me this week. I'd make a pick for who goes home tonight, but really have no idea. I'd like to say Sanjaya is going, but since I've eaten my words so many times and there are a lot of people voting to keep him around because of how bad he is I have a pretty good feeling he'll be there defecating on stage again next week...and what's with the hair? COME ON!-Nice perm dude- can someone please get rid of him, as it's getting to the point where I don't even want to watch the show. Okay, so enough venting this week. Thoughts?

Rematch???

Well the brackets are in and Ohio State and Florida are in opposite regions and are both number one seeds. It's a long shot probably, but I can tell you who my picks are. Here's to hoping OSU and Florida meet again. Sure Ohio State has lost to them twice (basketball and football) but you now what they say about the third time! So my brackets have OSU and Florida facing off for the championship with Ohio State winning it all! Here's to hoping I don't wind up gator bait again and have to eat humble pie...GO BUCKS!

PS... the picture is one that "someone" took when they got ahold of my OSU hat. I guess its supposed to be funny, but I don't see the humor in it.

McGuires 5k 2007

Well today as I mentioned was the second go around for me in the McGuire's Irish Pub 5k. This year I posted my best time yet on a 5k at 49:05. I had predicted finishing in 56:29 and since this is a prediction run that put me at over 7 minutes off so needless to say I didn't win, but I was pretty excited about having my best time yet. It was great and I find it easier each time I run one. In fact I felt so good after the race that I went ahead and did the circuit at the gym so I could get my third day in this week. I may pay for it tomorrow, but for now all is good. Here's to learning to run and lowering my time even more next time!

American Idol-the frustration

Okay, so I have to admit I am a wee bit disappointed and upset that "my" journey on AI has come to an end. Can someone please tell me how in the world Sundance goes home over Sanjaya Malakar? The kid can't sing! I know Sundance wasn't the greatest but COME ON that is ridiculous! Also how in the world does Haley stay in the competition an Sabrina goes home-something is just not right and is a bit frustrating. I am beginning to think that the show is rigged although Randy and Paula seemed a bit shocked as well. Well I guess I'm gonna throw my support towards Chris Sligh and Melinda Doolittle as my final two picks and I can only hope that Sanjaya will go home next week. And the good thing was they FINALLY got rid of Antonella that was a GREAT THING! That's all for now...
just a bit ticked...
-Matt

weight loss battle 07-8 weeks in (part 2)

Well today was weigh in day for measurements and everything. It was okay, I lost 2 more pounds putting me at 335 which is 7.2 total pounds lost since the first of January. I would have liked the numbers to be higher, but I'll take them. My body fat percentage did go up just a little bit this month (which I expected since I haven't watched my diet that closely and have been a little lax on working out this last month), but is still down from where it started at 60%. I am at 55% total body fat which puts me at a total of 16.72 pounds of fat lost. Sounds good to me. I have also lost a total of 3.25 inches since starting. All in all I am satisfied. My goals for this month are to watch my calories closer and try to make sure I get four days a week in at the gym. I only averaged 2x's a week this last month. That's about it for now! Tomorrow is the McGuire's 5k should be fun!

AI The Girls week 3

Ladies and gentlemen, your American Idol Season 6 winner is....MELINDA DOOLITTLE! Simply put I think that was the most amazing performance I have seen of any previous performance by anybody. It was like I was watching one of the great Divas live in concert. If she continues like tonight, I really don't see anyone that can beat her. As it relates to the other girls, I liked Gina's take on Evanescence-most might disagree, but not bad for a hard rock performance. The others were good, but not that great, nothing had the wow factor like Melinda's performance though. My pick to go home-Antonella Barba, or at least I hope she goes. If nothing else, have the decency to send her home like you did Frenchie in season two. She posed in lingerie and they got rid of her- there was a report on Scarborough Country the other night that she has semi-nude/nude pics all over the Internet and they haven't kicked her off yet. In fact I guess there were several people who protested at the performances this week because of it. Oh well, I guess you have to have the drama but she can't sing so PLEASE send her home! That's my thoughts how about you?

AI The guys-week 3

Not a stellar week from the guys, I honestly wasn't that impressed and agree that maybe they should revamp making it an even 6 and 6 for the finals. This week Sundance was okay, but should definitely stay away from Pearl Jam in the future. Chris Richardson did an excellent job as did Chris Sligh (great choice of the DC Talk song), but could someone PLEASE send Sanjaya home! Also I thought Phil might have sealed the deal by choosing the Lee Ann Rhimes song. I guess we'll see...

weight loss battle 07-8 weeks in

Not much to report this week, weigh in officially is this Friday (I thought it was yesterday) so I'll have more to report then. Last week was a good week, but I only made it to the gym once so I am a little nervous about Friday's weigh in. This is also the week for the McGuire's 5k so I am pretty stoked about that. It is always one of the coolest events in town with all the Irish pomp and circumstance as well as a cannon start. Last year there were over 7,000 people so I am geeked about this one. This also will be the celebration of 1 real year of activity since the McGuire's was my first race last year. Also different this is a prediction run so I may have a shot at a prize depending on how I time myself. I'll post more this weekend about the weigh in and race. Until then, the battle continues!

The Office Heroes

Talk about merging two of the greatest shoes on right now. This is priceless...by the way, did I mention how ticked I am to find that I have to wait until April 23rd for more new Heroes episodes? That just plain hoovers in my books...hope you like the clip.

Computer year in review

I don't know who wrote this, but a friend of mine sent it to me, and I found it funny so I thought I'd put it up here to cause ya'll to smile too...we've all probably read most of these and know of them so enjoy...

SUMMARY OF MY LAST YEAR ON THE COMPUTER

I must send my thanks to whoever sent me the one about rat poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet towel with every envelope that needs sealing.

Also, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's novena has granted my every wish.

I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer can buy gasoline without taking a man along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas.

I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put "Under God" on their cans.

I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.And thanks for letting me know I can't boil a cup water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face...disfiguring me for life.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer receive packages from UPS or FedEx since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica , Uganda , Singapore , and Uzbekistan .

I no longer have any sneakers -- but that will change once I receive my free replacement pair from Nike.

I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.

Thanks to you, I can't use any one's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.

Thank you too for all the endless advice Andy Rooney has given us. I can live a better life now because he's told us how to fix everything.

And thanks to your great advice, I can't ever pick up $5.00 I dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

Oh, and don't forget this one either! I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you don't send this to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 PM this afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back,causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Have a wonderful day....

PS...A South American scientist from Argentina , after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their e-mail with their hand on the mouse.Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late

AI-The Girls week 2

SO to me it was as if the roles were reversed this week. I didn't get to see all of the performances of the girls last night, but what I saw and what was on the recap was not that great as far as I was concerned. I would say that week 2 goes to the guys. The only real WOW performance for the girls last night for me was Melinda Doolittle. She did a phenomenal job! Since I didn't get to see all of the performances I won't make a pick for going home among the girls tonight.