Goodbye Danny, smoke, and fireants; Hello 26

First of all, was anyone else sad to see Danny Gokey leave American Idol last night? I sure was. I loved his voice, I loved his genuineness, and I loved seeing a Christian singer make it so far on American Idol. I sure hope he comes out with an album, because I'll be buying it. :)

Second, I read some interesting news stories this morning. First of all, researchers have discovered some new little fly that penetrates into fire ants' bodies, eats their brains, and causes their heads to fall off. This is their new remedy for killing the much-despised ants. Crazy-sounding? I think so. Check out the story here: Fire ants lose heads over parasitic flies. The other intriguing story is the one discussing the smoking ban bill that passed in NC. If Gov. Perdue signs it into law (which she plans to do), smoking will no longer be allowed in restaurants or bars here in NC. Now do I mind this much? Not really. I'm not a smoker and I don't like being around it. However, I can see why others would be frustrated. But the craziest thing about the bill is that North Carolina is the top tobacco-growing state in the US. What will this mean for our state economy? Who knows. Read about it here: House approves smoking ban for N.C.

Last but not least, hello 26. Today is my birthday.

Tonight I'm going to Cheesecake Factory with some friends, which I'm excited about. Maybe I'll even get cheesecake. :)