1. Are you more likely to rent or buy DVD's (VHS's)? Why? Neither, I prefer to use the pay-per-view offered by my sattelite provider. At $3.99 for an all day ticket, it costs about the same as a rental without the hassle of returns.
2. If you rent DVD's, do you bother viewing the 'Behind the Scenes' or watching the entire movie again with commentary on? Never, but I will use features that are added extras for use on a computer. A lot of Disney movies come with games and such...
3. Do you think these features warrant the extra cost for DVD? (Afterall, we were able to buy new release VHS for $9.99 prior to DVD). Absolutely not! I don't watch them.
4. What's your favorite DVD (or VHS) ? I refuse to answer another question about favorites. I don't really have a single favorite in any of the categories listed; drama, comedy, action suspense/thriller, and horror, and I refuse to beat my head against the wall trying to come up with titles.
"The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them." ~ Mark Twain ~
1. Do you use bookmarks? Well, I'm certainly not going to damage my precious books by dogearing the pages! I may not always use an actual bookmark, but I always use at least a little scrap of paper to keep my place.
2. What is your favorite book? If you want to read a book that is filled with all sorts of tales, give The Bible a good read. Approach it as a piece of literature, rather than a religious book. It is probably the most fascinating book, or more accurately, collection of books, ever to be written. Want more fun? Read different versions and books on its writing styles. Who knows it might open your eyes to some other things as well!
3. Who is your favorite author? I don't think that I could possibly choose a single favorite author! I'm a big fan of sci-fi and vampire tales. Some of my favorite authors include C. J. Cherryh, Terry Pratchett, Anne Rice, and P. N. Elrod.
4. What is the movie you feel is the most authentic version of a book? Never has a movie been made that was a truly authentic version of a book. Time limits always seem to force the producers to leave things out or, even worse, change them entirely. I've enjoyed some movie versions of books, but I cannot truthfully say that any of them presented an authentic portrayal of the material contained in the book.
5. Is there a book you wish they would make into a movie and why? I'd love to see one of the books in C. J. Cherryh's Foreigner series made into a movie, just so I could see what beautiful blonde man they cast in the role of the padhi!
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Saturday, January 29, 2005
I'm In Love With Matthias Jabs
Why this statement? Well, it seems that I'm being discussed. Following is a snippet of the discussion, complete with all of the author's misspellings and grammatical errors:
Sandra11 - Ania thank you for the link. Pics of Matthias are really cool.I read letter for Matthias...this girl is in love with Matthias,lol
Ania - I think she is more then inlove with him lol. If you click on the various archives there are loads of pictures of Matthias and the gang. I am glad you guys like the link.
Well, I am glad that you guys like the link, too. What I am not glad of is that you seem to make light of my feelings. Was that "lol" really necessary? Whatever gave you the idea that I was in love with him, anyway? Oh, wait, could it be the three little words that I had for Matthias in my "weird letter?"
Ich liebe dich!
Yes, you dimwits, that means "I love you!" I'm not ashamed of it. Why should I be? He is the most beautiful man I've ever seen.
I won't dicuss anything else about my feelings, because you will probably just laugh. I wonder, did you think that I would never happen upon your little thread on that message board? Have you never heard of web tracking devices? I know who visits here. I know where you link from and I know your IP addresses! Now, don't you feel a bit foolish? Wouldn't you too be just a tiny bit curious if you discovered a link to your personal web journal on the-scorpions.com (That's how the link shows up on my tracking device.)? You would be. I thought so...
And while I'm ranting at you little twits, I'd like to tell you that you misread my letter. It doesn't bother me that he is married. I'm a grown woman, not some little teeny bopper. I have no expectations that Matthias is going to come and sweep me off my feet. What upset me is that after claiming to dislike liars, he was not honest about the fact that he is married. In my experience, and believe me, I've had plenty, there is only one reason for doing this....
And yet I still "love" him. There are advantages to this "non-relationship" that I do not expect you to understand (for both of us, tee hee!). Unlike "the estranged one", or all of the other men I've had the misfortune of loving in the past (No, I will NOT give you a list!), Matthias can never really hurt me. I, in turn can never hurt him, either. So, you see, both of our hearts are safe.
Now go off and laugh at someone else, or laugh at me some more. I don't really care. I've probably ticked you off. I don't care about that either. People like you are the reason that I choose not to hang out with other fans. My feelings are my property. I'm entitled to them. Please don't make light of them.
Top five bands/artists that you think are underrated, and your favorite album by each.
1. The Scorpions
Good lord! I hate it when I mention the band and someone says something like, "Oh, I remember them'" as if they aren't still out there making serious kick ass music!
Favorite Album:Eye II Eye. It was difficult to choose a single favorite, but this 1999 studio album is sure to please with plenty of rockers and power ballads.
2. The Moody Blues
Their music is absolutely classic and there is no way that Justin Hayward is ever given credit for being the guitar god that he truly is!
Favorite Album:Long Distance Voyager, the very first Moody blues album that I ever bought... Yes, at the time of it's original release, on vinyl!
3. Neil Young
Neil can do it all! From hard rockers, to techno, to country, and beyond. One needs only to listen to the guitar work on Like A Hurricane to know that he truly deserves guitar god status.
Favorite Album:Decade, a multi-disc set of the best works from the first ten years of his career. It includes not only his solo material, but also songs that he did while with bands Buffalo Springfield and CSN & Y.
4. Bernie Barlow
Seen here in her position as a back-up singer for the Moody Blues, this lady also has a solo career. She is quite talented and a delight to listen to, high praise coming from me, since I am not fond of most female artists.
Favorite Album:Golden. It's the only one that I own, but as soon as she releases something new, I'm ready to buy it!
5. Drake Bell
This Nickelodeon teeny bopper star has loads of talent and great potential if people ever decide to take him seriously. I suppose that I could also call him one of my guilty pleasures...
Favorite album: I don't know if he has done anything beyond the music he's done on the TV show, but should I happen upon an album by him, I shall purchase it for myself and tell everyone that I'm buying it for my kids!
"No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting." ~ Lady Mary Wortley Montagu ~
1. We've all heard the phrase, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Have you ever picked up a book based solely on the title or the picture on the cover? Yes, I have, and I'm not ashamed of it, either. I've found some really great books that way. For example, I fell in love with the man on the cover of C. J. Cherryh's Foreigner. Based on that alone, I bought the novel. It was so good that I went on to read three more books in the series and one other series that she's written!
2. Along the same lines, do you ever look at whichever book someone else is reading in public or whatnot, and based on that make a snap judgment about their character or literary taste? Since I'm a mail carrier, I get the honor of delivering a lot of books. I may not know exactly what books are in a box, but the I do know from whom the books were purchased. When people receive a lot of packages from Christian Book Distributors, I often think, "so these people are among the 59,000,000 idiots who voted for W." Yeah, I make snap judgements...
3. Do you buy books online? If so, where is your favorite place to find them? My only online purchases of books have been through book club sites. My passion for science-fiction makes The Science Fiction Book Club my favorite choice online. I cancelled my membership a while back, but I'm thinking of rejoining. I need some good new sci-fi books to read.
4. From someone who's had more than her fair share of library fines... what is the largest late fee you've ever incurred at a library for returning a book past the due date? Have you ever borrowed a book from a library and never returned it? I'm pretty good about returning books to the library on time. I can't recall ever returning a book more than two or three days late. I have reported a book as lost more than once, though, when I liked it so much that I just HAD to keep it. If you report a book as lost before the due date you only have to pay for the replacement. Naughty me!
5. What is the first book that you can remember reading by yourself as a child? I do believe that the book was an early start reader called Ann Likes Red.
What are the first ten random songs on your computer/MP3 player? Random 10:
All songs are by The Scorpions, of course.
They're the only band I allow to live on my hard drive.
1) Alien Nation 2) Du Bist So Schmutzig 3) Rock You Like A Hurricane 4) Moment Of Glory 5) Mysterious 6) No One Like You 7) No Pain No Gain 8) Rhythm Of Love 9) Someone To Touch 10) Tease Me Please Me
What is the total amount of music files on your computer? I don't really do music on my computer, so I actually have only a few more files than those listed above. They take up a total of 74.3 MB on my laptop's measly 10 G hard drive.
The last CD you bought is: I actually bought a new CD last night. It hasn't shipped yet, but I am anxiously awaiting its arrival. The CD is Dead Ahead by Wild Horses. Scorpions' drummer, James Kottak, is also a member of this band, so of course I just have to have it!
What is the song you last listened to before this message? That would be the second track on The Scorpions' Unbreakable CD, Love 'Em Or Leave 'Em.
Write down five songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you:
Since I listen to The Scorpions a lot, they are the artists who are responsible for all of these songs...
1) Eye To Eye, because it reminds me of someone who I loved dearly who passed away. 2) Wind Of Change, because I am obsessed with playing this particular song on my 12 string guitar! 3) Du Bist So Schmutzig, because I love the looks that I get (especially from old geezers who are WWII vets) when I blast this one on my car stereo. 4) Send Me An Angel, the reason should be obvious... 5) Deep And Dark. What can I say? It's my theme song.
Who are you gonna pass this stick to (three persons and why)?
Don't you really mean, "Who am I going to stick it to?!"
1) Raymond, because he needs something interesting to post on his blog. 2) Khushrenada13, because he needs to update his blog for it to be regenerated on Diaryland's new servers. 3) Brandie, because if she's done this meme before, I haven't seen her answers.
Of course, all visitors to my blog are welcome to keep this meme going on their blogs. Please leave me a comment if you decide to join the fun and aren't one of the people on my list. I'd love to see your answers!
Put on those leather jackets - we're going hard this week.
1. Name your 5 favorite hard rock artists.
1) The Scorpions
2) Def Leppard
3) Guns And Roses 4) Nickelback 5) Poison Sorry, I don't have any pictures for the last three.
2. Name 5 lead vocalists for any hard rock band.
1) Klaus Meine -The Scorpions
2) Joe Elliot - Def Leppard (Pictured here with the late Steve Clark)
3) Axle Rose - Guns And Roses 4) Chad Kroeger - Nickelback 5) Brett Michaels - Poison
3. Power Ballads. Name your three favorites.
1) Send Me An Angel - The Scorpions 2) Still Loving You - The Scorpions 3) Obsession - The Scorpions
No surprises there, huh?!
4. Bonus question - name 3 one hit wonder hard rock bands from the 80's or 90's.
1) Gorky Park - Bang! 2) Skid Row - Eighteen And Life 3) Actually, I couldn't think of a third one, so I'll say Bon Jovi, because they've been doing the same damned song over and over for the past twenty years. They just change the lyrics and no one seems to notice...
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Hello, and welcome to all of you Scorpions fans who are visiting via the link that was recently posted here. Please understand one thing, though. This is my personal journal, not a Scorpions website per se. If you want to peek into my life, I have no qualms about it. Enjoy yourselves. Have a giggle at my expense. You won't be the first people to do so, and you sure as hell won't be the last! If you want to right click on my piccies, feel free. Hell, that's how I got most of them! You might even want to click the little button on the sidebar that says "Love At First Sting". My pictures are a bit more organized there...
And just to make you guys happy, here's a picture of Matthias and Rudolf wearing some of the ugliest pants ever to be seen!
Really, somone should have told them to change out of their jammie bottoms before posing for this! Ah, truly beautiful men never seem to have any fashion sense...
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Monday, January 24, 2005
What do you think of when you see the following colors? (You may write as many words as you like.)
I've decided to give this week's Monday Madness a special twist of my own. All of my answers will be music related and illustrated!
1. White:Nights In White Satin
2. Yellow:Yellow Submarine
3. Blue: The Moody Blues
4. Black: Lots of lovely leather on The Scorpions...
5. Green: John Lodge looks lovely under green lighting!
6. Red: Matthias Jabs has a red shirt.
7. Purple: He also looks good in purple.
8. Pink: But this pink one is my favorite...
9. Brown: Rudolf Schenker has brown eyes. How interesting...
10. Gray: The cover of Unbreakable is gray.
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Sunday, January 23, 2005
I'm Crying In My Beer
My beloved Pittsburgh Steelers lost today's AFC championship game to the New England Patriots. The score was 41 -27. I quit watching at half time when I realised that the situation was hopeless. There are those who will blame this loss on the fact that Ben Roethlisberger is a rookie. I do not. "Big Ben" had the skill and confidence to win this game, his team mates had faith in him. It could have been won if the coaching staff had not approached it as they did. From the very first possession for the Steelers I could see the coaching errors. I cringed in terror at the first interception which came on a play which if I were the coach would have been a running play! Way to go Cowher and coaching staff. It almost seemed as if you wanted to lose this game! Where is Chuck Noll when you need him? Oh, how I miss the days before his retirement. I wonder if he can be coaxed back into active duty...
But my reasons for crying in my beer do not stop with the Steelers' loss. I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Tonight Show great, Johnny Carson today at the age of 79.
For me and many others in my generation, Johnny Carson WAS the Tonight Show. It is possible that at least one of my children was conceived during one of his monologues... Talk about being part of our lives! I'm certain that I'm not the only one who can make a statement such as this. But mostly, Johnny knew how to give us one of the greatest gifts of all, laughter. For that he shall be greatly missed.
""I can think of nothing more boring for the American people than to have to sit in their living rooms for a whole half hour looking at my face on their television screens." ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower ~
1. What sitcom have you seen every episode of? There are so many that I could never list them all. I'm a big fan of all of the old sitcoms from the 60's and 70's. Call it nostalgia if you wish, but they just don't make 'em like that anymore. Gilligan's Island, Hogan's Heroes, All In The Family... These are just a few of the old sitcoms that I'm quite certain that I've seen every episode of at least once.
2. What sitcom makes you laugh until you cry? The Dick Van Dyke Show still leaves me in stitches. I dare anyone out there to try to watch the "Alan Brady is bald" episode without falling out of the chair in fits of hysterical laughter.
3. What sitcom do you wish had not been cancelled? Quite a few years ago a rather cute sitcom called Nearly Departed ran for a few short weeks. One of its stars was Eric Idle, my favorite Monty Python player.
He played a ghost, who along with his wife (also a ghost) were sharing their old home with the family who had purchased it following their deaths. Only the children and their old grandfather could see the ghosts. The show was delightful. I loved it. I really wish that the network had given it a longer run.
4. What sitcom do you wish they WOULD cancel? They could cancel every sitcom that is currently in production at the present time and I wouldn't even notice. They all are so similar, it's hard to tell the difference between them. Whatever happened to originality?
5. Who is your favorite sitcom character, either past or present? There are so many, choosing just one is nearly impossible. The bumbling Sergeant Schultz of Hogan's Heroes has always been one of my favorites. I loved his catch phrase, "I know nothing!" This smiley, taken from World-of-Smilies.de seems to indicate that the show was aired in Germany at some time.How interesting. If you can't laugh at yourselves, who can you laugh at? I suppose...
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Saturday, January 22, 2005
Getting Ready For Game Time
Looking around me, everything seems to echo of the glory days of the 70's. The bitter cold and snow have arrived just in time for the AFC championship game in Pittsburgh. Steeler merchandise can be found in every store imaginable, from department stores to grocery stores to florists! Steeler fans, including myself are psyched! I hope this is an omen.
Being the armchair quarterback/coach that I am, I'd like to offer the following advice to the team:
Top 5 Albums you couldn't live without when you were growing up.
Dammit, if everyone doesn't know how old I am, they will after seeing this list! Gee, thanks, Andrea!
1. Here's Donny - Donny Osmond The very first album that I ever bought!
2. The Partridge Family Album - The Partridge Family (David Cassidy and Shirley Jones, really) I was SO in love with David Cassidy in those days!
3. Frampton Comes Alive - Peter Frampton Trust me, he may look like a nerd now, but in the 70's he was HOT!
4. Alive - Kiss "I want to rock and roll all night, and party every day..."
5. Heart Like A Wheel - Linda Ronstadt The lady was my idol. I wanted to BE her!
Yeah, there's no Scorpions on the list, with good reason. They didn't have any major success in the U. S. until the early 80's. I was pretty much all grown up by the time they hit the scene.
"When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food and clothes." ~ Desiderius Erasmus ~
1. How many books do you own (and if you're not a nerd like me and don't know the exact number, guess-timate)? I own so many books that I wouldn't know where to begin counting! They lurk all about my house, on bookshelves, tables, anywhere that there might be room for them. At least a hundred of them, probably much more!
2. Do you keep books to add to your personal library, or do you trade them/give them away? You can probably guess the answer to this from my answer to the previous question. I keep them! I am not averse to giving them to some deserving peron who will treat them kindly, but I am a pack rat.
3. If you keep books, what makes you keep them? What kind of books do you keep? Besides the fact that I am a hopeless pack rat, I never know when I might want to read a particular book again... Most of the books in my collection are either sci-fi novels or mysteries, since these are my favorite type of reading.
4. Do you have a guilty pleasure book- something you would never want to admit to reading? What?! Do you really think that I'm going to admit that I often take out one of my children's old Dr. Seuss books (they've long since outgrown them) to read for my own personal enjoyment? Never!
5. Have you ever gone without something you needed to buy a book instead? I own a signed first edition copy of William Shatner's Star Trek Memories. The purchase of that book set me back over a hundred dollars. What do you think...?
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Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Winter Is Officially Over
This is my decree. There shall be no more winter weather this year. We've had our one requisite nasty snowfall. It came just at the beginning of the morning rush hour. There was no time for the roads to be cleared, nor was there time for scools to cancel or delay, the first run of busses had already hit the road when it began. So, as I drove in terror to work with the anti-lock brakes grabbing every few seconds, I had yet another thing to worry about, my youngest son was on the same treacherous roads in one of our district's ancient school busses. I wish that I had told him to stay home. Not that he'd have listened. Missing a day of school is no fun when your teachers force you to make up every petty little thing that you've missed. But that's another rant...
Skiers be damned, I want this whole winter thing to go away, NOW! Certainly I laugh as hard as anyone when someone is stupid enough to do something like this... (Yeah, I've been waiting a long time to find a use for that smiley.) I can even enjoy the beauty of the snowfall on the fields and trees. If only that was the only place that it landed.
Another reason for my declaration of the end of winter is all of the freaking cold weather that comes with it. I hate being cold! I think I just might pack up my stuff and run away to the tropics...
I could actually enjoy this cold snowy weather if only I came home to find that I had this to keep me warm...
Alas I do not...
~ This concludes my little pity party for the day. ~
It's Time For 
