Pale Villain from Princess Bride Sings Like an Angel?

I started my Youtube search attempting to find a tutorial on how to play "Hallelujah" by Rufus Wainwright on the keyboard. I stumbled instead upon the winner of World Idol, Swedish singer Kirt Nilsen. When I saw the thumbnail of Kirt as the Youtube billboard for a rendition of the song, based solely on the way he looked, I HAD to click. The man's image immediately reminded me of the villain from Princess Bride who is responsible for the development and upkeep of the secret torture chamber. You know, the pale, dingy, extremely deep-voiced leper (just in case you don't know and if you can't connect the dots he is immediately to the right). Naturally, I chuckled to myself imagining the leper singing "Hallelujah" as I clicked the link. Boy was I shocked when I did!

As one of the World Idol judges puts it, "Kurt, you are a hell of a marketing challenge, because you have the voice of an angel, but you look like a Hobbit."

Well Kirt, I was extremely impressed with your singing. For those of you who haven't heard of Kirt, check out the links below and judge for yourself. Beware... there's more than meets the eye!

Kirt sings "One" by U2

Kirt looks way more Albino-villain-like singing "With or Without You" by U2, but sings it no less angelically. To view a secret portal to an alternate universe, pause the song at 2:36, then look at Kirt. Find the doorway.

Thursday Afternoon Chat: Cabin Fever

I typically don't wish away the seasons, but this year, I can't wait for spring to arrive. I think about the warm weather, the bright sunny skies, the later hours of daylight we have to our advantage, the dime-a-dog nights at the baseball stadium where you literally pay one dime to get one hot dog (I think there is a limit of ten per person for all who are interested...), the people who are actually outside, the satisfaction a popsicle lends once you've been outside for a while, and much more. I had a rude awakening the other day when that desire for a summer popsicle surfaced. I decided to give in despite feeling cold on the outside. After my first bite, I was not only cold on the outside but I was frozen on the inside. I suppose that's what I get for having a popsicle in the winter, but that's what's making me yearn for the spring - the warmth it brings.

I'm tired of being cold..all the time. I don't think I'd mind it so much if I was warm for some duration longer than 5 minutes throughout the day, but to constantly be cold starts to get old after a while. I sit at my desk at work with a scarf on, sometimes I even have my coat on as I do now, and my schnoz and my hands are still noticeable cold. When I get in my car to go anywhere, it's cold. Sometimes it's so cold that I can barely touch the wheel. Sometimes I'm so cold that the heat feels like fire burning my hands, yet I'm still freezing. (Is that the first sign of frostbite??) When I am home I sit on the couch with a blanket or I am walking around with a robe and slippers on on top of all my other clothes, but the second I have to let the dog out, I feel the cold creeping.

Speaking of, that's another thing I'm tired of: the lack of people, and dogs, we (the dog and I) meet on our daily walk. Having a new puppy has had its ups and downs. But when Jack (the pup) and I have braved the cold to go outside and take a walk, stretch our legs, and socialize a bit since we've all been inside all day, and I don't see a single soul or dog on our walk, it's frustrating. In the spring, the streets are buzzing with people, dogs, bicyclers, kids, but not now. You are lucky if your dog sees a single footprint of another dog in the snow. I'm not sure if there is some indoor area where people walk their dogs that I don't know about or what, but I'd have to say there are a lot of pent up dogs in the winter, not to mention probably quite a few dog owners that could easily pull their hair out.

In the end, these are just a few of the reasons I look forward to spring so much. I still feel bad for thinking of the next season when really I should be enjoying the good things from this season. It's only a few months, right?! I mean, let's been honest, spring arrives and departs in the blink of an eye, and then it's summer...

...and I'll probably just be complaining about how hot is then...

In the meantime, you can find me wearing a full body sweater until spring.

Maybe I'll start a fad, but at the very least, I'll stop complaining.

PS: That's not really me...I'd be wearing socks.