Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

Copyright 2005 Fox Broadcasting

Well, it took several weeks, but Scott Savol finally ran out of second chances on American Idol. Nicknamed "Scotty the Body" by host Ryan Seacrest, an oblique tweak at his stocky body type, Scott stayed for several weeks despite appearing in the bottom three or the bottom two among vote getters.

Last week he was probably pulled from the fire primarily by tough judge Simon Cowell announcing that he should pack his bags, thereby inspiring a sympathy vote.

Before announcing the results, Ryan played a nasty game. He called out each of the performers one by one and separated them into Anthony Fedorov and Scott on the couch, with Bo Bice, Carrie Underwood and Vonzell Solomon standing on stage. Normally, those on the couch are safe. The audience was already howling in disbelief.

But this time, Ryan announced that those on the stage were safe and those on the couch were the bottom two. Neither looked surprised.

The biggest surprise was that Scott didn't triumph once more, over Anthony. Quite frankly, he's put in more good performances in his time on the show than Anthony has. Now that it's down to four, three of them are most deserving of the top accolades. It's possible, though, that Anthony manages to defeat fate and survive for one more week, much like bubble gum Hawaiian singer Jasmine Trias did last year.

If the morning gives any hint of the coming day, we may have a passably warm spring day for once. I really need once. This weekend I got a cold, presumably from hiking with my sister in the woods and getting sweaty enough to take my jacket off despite the chilly air.

So far, it's not been a terrible cold, just a nagging undercurrent that, as it progresses through its different stages, presents new problems. It started Monday as a barely noticeable sore throat, combined with mild nausea. Yesterday, it progressed to congestion, combined with a migraine headache and the accompanying nausea.

Today, after getting up early for an assignment, I went back to bed and deliberately slept in. I figured it was better to get some rest than force myself to do my usual exercise regimen, excepting dog walks, of course.

Speaking of health, I took my dog, Una, to the vet yesterday for her annual checkup and shots. When the vet checked her over, he said he could barely hear the murmur he'd first noticed a year ago. Since it hadn't progressed, we could go back to an annual physical except one every six months.

This is a relief, because Una is prone to nervous barking whenever we're at the vet. I think it's because I used to board her there before I found a pet sitter, and she doesn't trust me not to leave her there.

Once she was on the table, she calmed down but her legs were trembling. The vet calmed her down by petting her head and then, as if it surprised even him, gave her a little kiss on top of her head, like I always do. I think she's the sort of dog that invites that affection.

Which reminds me of something my sister said this weekend. We were at the hair dresser's on Saturday, practicing wedding do's. I commented that we are sisters and have dogs who have sister dogs. Then my sister said that our personalities are similar to our respective dogs.

I protested, "But Una is so silly!" But secretly, I was glad. Una has such a sunny personality it's hard not to smile around her. And even though she can be very vocal at times when you'd prefer she'd be quiet, she's loyal to a fault and is very affectionate and fun to be around.

Emma, my sister's dog, is slower to get to know strangers. She may be quiet and wait for signals or, in the case of strange dogs, will bark defensively. After she gets to know you, however, she's a persistent and gentle force, demanding attention from those she loves. She is unquestionably the leader among the two sister dogs, despite the fact that she's smaller. She just has a commanding presence.

Although it wouldn't have occurred to me to make this observation, when my sister said it, I could see similarities. I suppose that's why Una and I get along so well.

I've been going through a lot of things for the move, boxing them up gradually and taking them to the new place. This was why I had to stop by the Cheshire Cat's house last night, who had saved boxes from when he and his wife, The Paper, moved several years ago. I apologized for having a cold and tried to keep my distance, but as it turned out, he had a slight cold, too! If we managed to pick up any germs from each other from the few minutes it took to load boxes into my car, we probably won't even notice.

One of the things I've found while going through my stuff is a bag that serves as a time capsule from when I was a newspaper reporter. I'd apparently filled it with stuff from my desk on my last day and hadn't looked at it in the four years since. Along with a card signed by all the staff, a folder containing thank you cards from readers I'd had posted on my bulletin board, and the occasional article, there was a pack of raisins and a couple packets of snack food!

Fortunately, none of the food made too terrible of a mess. The raisins still looked fine, even if they smelled like vinegar. The packet of oatmeal had burst open and gotten all over the bag but wasn't even moldy. The magic of preservatives, I guess.

But what was particularly thought provoking was an inner pocket containing a mini medicine chest, the various things I used to take on a regular basis, including prescription medicine for my migraines. They now come infrequently and when they do, I manage them in ways that don't involve heavy duty painkillers, such as going into a dark room and lying down or taking a relaxing hot bath.

I also used to need heel pads in the soles of all my shoes. At the time, I didn't think about it, but now I realize that was a weight related problem. I no longer have this problem and even wear slip-on tennis shoes on a regular basis, which provide almost no heel support.

If you go by the over the counter medications in that bag, I had a host of recurring problems, including frequent colds.

At that time in my life, I was very highly stressed because of my job and my personal life (recently divorced, I'd fallen in with the Luser, a sociopath as close to evil as any I've ever known). I can remember now how unhealthy I was at the time, although it didn't occur to me then that my lifestyle was causing my health problems. While I knew the stress wasn't helping, I didn't consider what effects the weight might have.

I've been relatively healthy for the last few years. A mild cold here or there is about all I must face. Thinking of that, plus the warming spring sun, makes my cold seem like nothing.

More Musings on American Idol:

American Idol, Season Four

American Idol, Season Three

Copyright 2005 by Alyce Wilson

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