It's been about a week since this was passed to me. I've been quite lax about doing it. But there's no time like the present! So...
You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be? Do I get to be every copy of the book that was ever published?! Do I? If that's the case, I want to be Mein Kamph by Adolph Hitler. That ought to go a long way in righting a lot of the wrongs in the world. World War II would never happen. Hitler would end up locked away in a nuthouse, where he belonged. The neo-nazis of today would be without a role model. Yep, burn, baby, burn!
Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? More times than I care to admit! The padhi in C. J. Cherryh's Foreigner series, for one. Oh how I wish that I could be his Atevi lover, even though that would make me a large, ebony-skinned alien, totally lacking emotion.
The last book you bought is: Probably the book that I am currently reading, Dark Maze By Thomas Adcock, but it could be one of many other books that I pick up at the Dollar Tree store. If they look interesting, I buy them. Sometimes they sit for months before I get around to reading them, this is why I am uncertain as to which was my most recent purchase.
The last book you read: Iron Star by Brian Kelleher, a very creepy and gruesome novel set in the final days of World War II. I loved it!
What are you currently reading? The words on my computer screen! What?! You say I'm taking this question too literally... The book that I am currently reading (when I find a spare minute or two) is Dark Maze (mentioned in my answer to a previous question). It is a story of a fictional serial killer in New York City and of the police detective who is tracking him.
Five books you would take to a deserted island.
1. The Bible - Apart from its religious significance, it contains all sorts of fascinating tales.
2. Foreigner by C. J. Cherryh - So that I can feed my crush on its main character while languishing away.
3. Memnoch The Devil by Anne Rice - My very favorite of her vampire tales. There is a lot of deep meaning in this one if you care to seek it.
4. The Ship Who Sang by Ann McCaffrey, an odd sci-fi sort of romance between a biological spaceship and her pilot.
5. A book of blank pages, so that I may record my thoughts and feelings while on the island.
Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why? 1. Khushrenada13, because I want to know what they're reading in The Netherlands. 2. Samantha, because she needs something a bit more cheerful to blog about. 3. Raymond, because I'm his mom and I say so!
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Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Here We Go A-Googling!
I never cease to be amused by the odd searches that turn up this page. Some are quite predictable, like Matthias Jabs or Klaus Meine. It seems that the image searchers out there are quite fond of this particular picture...
I get hits from image searchers for this one several times a week. Perhaps it is because the file name is matisbutt.jpg. Maybe you all were expecting a picture of his naked backside. I wish! Were I to possess such a thing, my eyes would probably become permanently glued to the computer screen. Matthias has a mighty fine ass, indeed!
Sometimes searchers prefer to ask questions. Sometimes I even know the answers! Such is the case with my favorite search of today, which posed this fill in the blank question...
"If I could make ____ last forever" Jim Croce
And the answer is...
You are looking for lyrics from Croce's Time In A Bottle. The passage you seek is as follows:
"If I could make days last forever If words could make wishes come true..."
There are songs that make you laugh. There are indeed some that make you wonder what the hell they are saying. And then there is satire. We all love a good Weird Al rendition. Even if you claim not to, deep down in your soul Taco Grande has to make you giggle.
Name 5 funny songs.
1. The Streak - Ray Stevens 2. Wildwood Weed - Jim Stafford 3. The Assshole Song - George Jones 4. Vampires, Mummies, And The Holy Ghost - Jimmy Buffet 5. Born In East L. A. - Cheech Marin
Name 5 songs whose lyrics never fail to make you say 'Is that what they really said?' (Clarification: songs with amusingly mishead lyrics.)
1. I Wanna Hold Your Hand - The Beatles A friend's father was convinced that the lyrics were "I wanna hold your ham!"
2. Take Me Home Country Roads - John Denver My mom wins the prize for her rendition of this song, in which she belts out these lyrics: "Take me home, country Rose..."
3. Rock You Like A Hurricane - The Scorpions "The bitch is hungry, She needs to tell, So give her inches, And feel her well..." or is it feed her well?! Even Klaus is not sure. He has sung it both ways, and he wrote the freaking lyrics!!!
4. The Star Spangled Banner - U. S. national anthem "José, can you see..."
5. Nights In White Satin - The Moody Blues The lyrical error on this one only occurs in print. It is NOT Knights In White Satin! Really, do you think that Justin would write a song about armor clad figures wearing robes of white satin?! It's an amusing mental image, though...
Name 5 Weird Al Yankovic parodies.
1. Eat It, padody of Michael Jackson's Beat It. 2. Like A Surgeon, parody of Madonna's Like A Virgin 3. This Song Is Just Six Words Long, parody of George Harrison's Got My Mind Set On You 4. Living With A Hernia, parody of Living In America 5. Fat, parody of Michael Jackson's Bad.
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Monday, March 28, 2005
1. Halloween is more fun to celebrate than any other holiday. I love to dress up in costumes and free candy is always good!
2. The last vacation I took was to Atlantic City, NJ. Casinoes with pretty lights, beaches, the boardwalk, and lest I forget, Moody Men!
3. The next vacation I plan to take will be to Atlantic City, again. The Moody Blues are playing there again in July. Plans for the trip are already underway! A trip to Niagra Falls is also in the works for this summer.
4. I'd really like to be more wealthy. Because if I was, I'd be travelling to Germany to see The Scorpions!
5. I can't remember the last time I wore a size 3. Actually, I don't think I ever did. I'm just not built that way.
6. The book I last read (or am currently reading) is Dark Maze by Thomas Adcock. Another Dollar Tree reading find!
7. The last program I installed on my computer was AVG Antivirus (the free edition). They made me do it. The old version would no longer update!
8. When it comes to food, my weakness is everything! What can I say? Good food is one of life's finest pleasures!
9. I really look forward to spending time off work. I was going to say "with my sister", but I don't want her to get a swelled head!
The last one is not a fill-in-the-blank, but a challenge...
10. Choose a person's blog in the comment section, and welcome others to visit it, by leaving a link to the blog in your entry today. Okay, everybody go visit Wicked Sway's Blog!
"They have Easter egg hunts in Philadelphia, and if the kids don't find the eggs, they get booed." ~ Bob Uecker ~
1. What is your favorite Easter decoration? (rabbit, egg, chick, etc) I like eggs...
2. Do you like Easter colors or do you wish they were different? I never really associated any particular colors with Easter, other than the colors of my brightly dyed eggs...
3. What did you do today to celebrate Easter? The usual, dinner with my family, a basket full of treats... I wanted to go to church this morning, but no one bothered to wake me. I slept until nearly noon. I feel terrible about it, but I guess it's just another of the perils of my continued six day work week.
4. What is your best Easter memory? I celebrated Easter in Costa del Sol, Spain in 1980. I attended mass in a small church with many locals. Although the mass was in Spanish, I said all of the prayers in English. I'll never forget the way that the little girl sitting beside me looked at me ... I think she thought I was some sort of space alien!
5. If you are Catholic, did you observe Lent, and if so, what did you sacrifice for Lent? You have probably deduced from my last answer that I am Catholic. I did not make any sacrifices for lent, though. I don't like making promises to God that I cannot keep, and I'm as bad with lenten sacrifices as I am with New Year's resolutions...
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My Wish For You Today
Have fun eating those colored eggs!
Don't keep them all in one basket!
Don't forget to say grace before eating all of your chocolate bunnies...
I hope that the Easter Bunny brought you lots of treats!
This is what he brought for me!
I bet you didn't know that he left the baskets under the "Easter tree!"
This wish goes out to one and all, even you, Anne! May the love of our risen Lord fill you with joy on this blessed day!
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Saturday, March 26, 2005
We're Being Invaded By Bunnies!
Some of them are big and pink and rather scary...
Other smaller multicolored bunnies are beginning to band together on the front lawns of some homes.
A few more of a more well mannered sort prefer to sit patiently on the porch.
Whatever they choose to do, they are multiplying rapidly. Apparently they are hatched from eggs which grow on trees!!!
Ah! Yet another top five owned entirely by The Scorpions, with a little help from some friends.
1. Hurricane 2000 - The Scorpions with The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra A.K.A. Rock You Like A Hurricane with an interesting twist! From the album Moment Of Glory You've just gotta hear this one!
2. No One Like You - The Scorpions They just couldn't clean up the vocals on this live track from Worldwide Live. I love hearing Klaus sing "I just vanna be loved by you!" It's just so damned cute, as is he...
3. Moment Of Glory - The Scorpions with The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra From the album of the same title, this song is incredible beyond words. I love it! If you give it a listen, I'm sure you will too!
4. No Pain No Gain - The Scorpions This song from the Live Bites album provides evidence that someone in the band can't sing. I wonder who it could be... Who sings backing vocals live but not on the albums? Matthias! But, it doesn't matter. I love him, and this song, anyway!
5. Wind of Change - The Scorpions There are two live versions of this song currently available on CD. I chose the version from Live Bites, because I guess I just love listening to Klaus intro the song by talking about 100,000 Russians. Damn! That's a lot of Russians! And he counted them all!?! The other live version of this song can be found on Moment Of Glory where the band is joined once again by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
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Thursday, March 24, 2005
It's Holy Thursday
Although our (Andrea's and mine) busy schedules did not allow us to attend services at our own church on this day commemorating the Lord's last supper, we were able to spend some quality time in the local Byzantine Catholic church, located a few blocks from our parents' home. The icons covering the walls and ceiling are some of the most beautiful artwork that I've ever seen!
Visiting this particular church on this day has become sort of a ritual for us, but no matter how many times I visit, I am always overwhelmed by its beauty. On a side note, the parish has a new priest (seen in the left corner of the top photograph). He's quite the talkative one, and was more than willing to share with us all the information that he could provide about the church building. It's amazing how little you can know, or how much you can forget, about something that has been just down the road from you for most of your life!
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Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Bad Dog!
Meet my friend, Dawg. I call him that because I can't for the life of me ever remember his name. He's a big fellow and he makes a lot of noise, but he loves his daily treats! He has me quite well trained. Every day, after delivering his mommy's mail, he stands in the driveway begging for his treat. I then pull in and pop it into his waiting mouth. In turn, he promises to let me keep my fingers. I like my fingers. They're quite useful!
Today, as I pulled into the drveway to perform our daily ritual, I was greated by this muddy snouted creature. It seems that somebody was trying to dig the proverbial hole to China! And I know who it was...
He'd better be really nice to me, because I have this incriminating photograph!
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Tuesday, March 22, 2005
I'm Depressed
The mail count is over. Our postmaster tabulated the results and reported them to us yesterday. The good news was that my route went up in evaluation. Woot! I'm going to make a bit more money. The bad news was that it didn't go up enough to get me a relief day at least every other week. WAAAAH! I've been working six days a week with only Sundays, holidays and my twenty vacation days off for the past seven years. My sanity is wearing awfully thin.
Getting weekends off, even using vacation days, is a pain in the butt for me, since I do not have a sub of my own. They gave Randy to "Princess Tracy" when her sub quit. (Don't get me started on a Tracy rant. God save me from tall, skinny, even tempered bitches. But, I like her. Really, I do!)
I feel as though I have been sentenced to one more year in postal prison with no chance of parole! If only I had a cell mate who looked like this...
This week we're going to take a trip in the "Way Back" Machine.
1. What one artist would you like to travel back in time to see in their "hey day?" And Why? At first I thought of seeing The Beatles, but then I remembered that you could barely hear them over the sceaming fans at their shows. I decided that I would rather see Def Leppard, back in the days while Steve Clark was still alive.
I have seen them in concert, but not until after Steve's death.
What?! You thought I was going to say The Scorpions! Uh-uh! I refuse to believe that their hey-day is over. They're still a kick-ass band. What they need is better management, especially in the U.S.
2. If you could go back in time to buy one musical related item that you wanted, but didn't purchase at the time, what would it be? I don't have to go back very far. I saw it in someone's catalog a few months ago. (Yeah, people, your mail carriers browse your catalogs!) It was an Epiphone copy of a '58 Explorer, for only five hundred dollars! (As opposed to a thousand plus for a Gibson model) I should have bought it. I could have bought it. Damn! Why didn't I buy it?!
3. If you could travel back in time and give any artist/band a piece of advice, who would it be and what would your advice be? Take me back to January 7, 1991. Take me to Steve Clark. My advice to him:
Don't go to that party tonight. Stay home with your girlfriend, go see a movie, anything. Please, just don't go to that party, because if you do, you're going to die. I love you. You girlfriend loves you. Countless others do as well. Please, we want you to still be here ten years from now. You may not think it's true, but you have a problem with alcohol. If you go to that party, you will drink too much. It will interact with the pain medication you're taking for those broken ribs. You will die. Trust me. I'm from the future. I know these things. Besides, what harm could come from you staying home just this one night? You might think that I'm crazy, but humor me. Please, PLEASE!!!
In loving memory: Steve Clark April 23, 1960 - January 8, 1991
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Monday, March 21, 2005
How Many...
1. ...computer-related gadgets do you own? Working ones? I own one printer, two digital cameras, a jump drive (file storage device), two working zip drives, a special retractable phone cord for my laptop, and a networking card, also for the laptop. There are also two non-working printers and a flatbed scanner for which I cannot find a driver still taking up space in my home.
2. ...pictures on your living room walls? Just one, an eagle against a background of an American flag. "The estranged one" bought it for me back in 2001 when I was feeling rather patriotic. I haven't got the heart to take it down.
3. ...magnets on your refrigerator? *GASP* Twenty-three! I just counted them. I never realised that I had so many on there....
Mike's collection of Yugi-Oh magnets (15), a huge American flag, the number for a local pizza shop, two Hampster Dance hamsters, one from my favorite herbal tea, plus three other random magnets.
4. ...reference books in your bookshelves? None, I keep my giant unabridged dictionary at my computer because spell check is so unreliable! For any other reference, I go online...
5. ...boxes of cereal in your cupboards? Two. A box of chocolate Lucky Charms and a box of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios.
6. ...lamps in your house? Two, one on an end table in the living room and one small decorative one atop my computer monitor. There are also several broken ones lurking around in my basement, but since they don't work, they don't count!
7. ...times a week do you shop for groceries? I do my grocery shopping every payday (once every two weeks). If I need to pick up something between paydays, I usually just grab it at WalMart or a covenience store while I'm there for something else.
8. ...magazines do you subscribe to? Only two, Entertainment Weekly and Guitar Player.
9. ...tv programs do you watch on a regular basis? Once again, the magic number is two! Law And Order and Medium, although the first could probably count as more than one, since there are so many versions of it. I prefer the ones that feature Sam Waterson...
10. ...items on your bathroom counter that don't really need to be there? Bathroom counter?! What is a bathroom counter?! There is no such thing in my home, so I have no unnecessary items cluttering it up!
"You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was." ~ Irish Proverb ~
1. What did you do to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, if anything? Not much. I'm not Irish. We did have a St. Patrick's Day party at Curves, though. Plenty of green food and yummy green punch!
2. Did you wear green, and if so, what? Yes, I caved and wore a t-shirt bearing the image of Kermit the frog that said, "Kiss me. I'm green!"
3. Have you ever seen a rainbow from end to end? Not since purchasing my digital camera...
4. Have you ever visited or do you want to visit Ireland? No, I've never been to Ireland and I've never entertained any thoughts of going there. I want to go to Germany!!!
5. What is your best St. Patrick’s Day memory? I bought my very first car on St. Patrick's Day of 1983. It was a tan 1974 Ford Mustang. I paid a mere six hundred dollars for it. I drove it for nearly ten years after purchasing it. I loved that car!
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A Day Out For The Girls
It was down Interstate 70 and through The Wheeling Tunnels today for Andrea, visiting friend, Jennifer, and myself.
Our destination...
Wheeling Island, a casino with lots of slot machines and pretty lights, a dog race track, and a buffet restaurant that includes a chocolate fountain!
This is the white chocolate fountain. There is also one of milk chocolate. There are plenty of fruits and marshmallows to coat with the yummy chocolate goo, a perfect ending for an absolutely sumptuous meal!
Pasta, seafood, cheddar biscuits, and seasoned veggies are but a few of the tasty treats we dined upon before diving into the chocolate fountain.
Although it is forbidden to photograph the casino area, (Lord only knows why) I can offer this tiny peek at the fountain greeting us at the entrance.
We had a great time, broke close to even at the slots...
I can't wait to go back!!
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Saturday, March 19, 2005
50 Questions
I found this a while ago, I can't remember where. I'm just getting around to doing it now!
1. What year was the best year of your life? Probably 1980. That was the year I travelled to Spain, Africa, and New York City. Oh, to be young and carefree again. It was also the year that I graduated from high school...
2. What is one animal or insect that Noah should have left off the ark? Priscilla! I mean cockroaches. Ewwwww! They're disgusting!
3. Do you make a wish before blowing out your birthday candles? Sure, I do, but none of them has ever come true.
4. Do you generally open your bills on the day that you receive them? No, I open them on the day that I intend to pay them. If they're on auto-pay, sometimes I don't open them at all!
5. How many pillows are on your bed? Three. Two to rest my head upon and one to hug!
6. Favorite ice cream flavor? I have two favorites, and neither is available any more, Isaly's Maricopa and Howard Johnson's Peppermint Stick.
7. What is the most dominate color in your wardrobe? I'm a basic black type of person.
8. Have you ever seen a ghost? Yes, as a matter of fact, I have.
9. Would you rather go to a carnival or circus? A carnival, because I prefer rides over shows.
10. Favorite meal: breakfast, lunch, or dinner? I often skip breakfast and/or lunch, but never dinner. How's that for an answer?
11. What is your favorite fictional animal? Foamy the squirrel. He's my lord and master!
12. Have you ever flown first-class? I wish...
13. Would you go on a reality show? That would depend on the reality show and how much I was going to be paid.
14. Are you more optimistic or pessimistic about the future? I'm pessimistic. That way I'll never be disappointed!
15. Pancakes or waffles? You can't make me choose!!!!
16. If you could own a home anywhere in the world, where would it be? Hannover, Germany. I'll leave it to you to figure out why...
17. What is your favorite Soup of the Day? Italian wedding soup. Mmmmmm...
18. What site is a must see for all visitors to your city? There are no sites to be seen in Charleroi, PA, unless you like to watch the ducks swimming in the Monongahela River!
19. Can you recommend a good restaurant in your city? Rego's is an excellent Italian restaurant located in Charleroi with one major disadvantage, it is closed on Sunday!
20. You go to the zoo; What is the one animal that you want to see? I want to see the tigers. They are such big beautiful cats.
21. Potatoes, rice, or pasta; Which is your favorite? Pasta, with potatoes coming in a very close second.
22. What is the best movie that you've seen this year? If by this year you mean the past twelve months, I'd have to say it is Van Helsing. There are just so many pretty men in that movie!
23. One of your favorite books when you were a child? Green Eggs And Ham by Dr. Seuss. I can still recite pages of it from memory.
24. What in your life are you most grateful for? My family, all of them!
25. You are home alone and use the bathroom; do you close the door? Sometimes...
26. What is your favorite small appliance? My microwave oven, the ONLY way to cook!
27. Salty snacks or sweet treats? Six of one, half a dozen of the other! It depends on my mood.
28. Are you usually a little early, a little late, or right on time? A little late, I am sorry to say.
29. What is the most daring thing that you have ever done? It's embarassing. I'd rather not talk about it...
30. Have you ever met someone famous? I am a stage door stalker. I've met plenty of famous people that way. John Lodge of The Moody Blues, Brad Sherwood of Whose Line Is It Anyway, Malcolm Gets of Caroline In The City, and former MTV VJ Steve Isaacs, to name just a few.
31. What was one of your favorite games as a child? Candyland! We payed it on a board back then, not on a computer!
32. At what age have you looked your best? I guess I looked my best when I was a young skinny eighteen year old.
33. One person who never fails to make you laugh? My son, Michael, but I think that it pisses him off!
34. What was the first music that you ever bought? Here's Donny by Donny Osmond. How embarassing, but all of the girls were in love with him then, myself included.
35. If you could change one thing about your family life when you were a child, what would it be? My mom would learn how to drive, taking away her biggest excuse for not letting me do many of the things that the other kids were doing, "I have no way to get you there. Your dad is working."
36. What is the one thing that you cook that always receives compliments? Lady Starlight does not cook!
37. From what news source do you receive the bulk of your news? The internet. I'm always sitting in front of a computer!
38. In the last calendar year, how many people have you told that you love them? At least ten or twelve, I never really counted. I love everybody, though, even you Anne!
39. Who recieved your first kiss? George Ross, in kindergarten! I was quite the precocious little girl in that area!
40. The single most important quality in a mate? A sense of humor. God save me from humorless assholes!
41. What do you value most in a relationship? Honesty. I'd rather that you hurt me with the truth than be nice and lie.
42. Do you believe that you have a soulmate? If yes, have you already met? Yes, I belive that I have a soul mate. I even think I know who he is, but we have never met.
43. Do you consider yourself well organized? Hell, no! I am a slob, and proud of it!
44. On average, how many times a day do you look at yourself in the mirror? I've never really thought about it, probably about five or six times a day, when necessary.
45. Did you ever make a prank phone call? Not that I can recall...
46. What one quality do you seek in a friend? The same quality I look for in a mate, a sense of humor. You've gotta have one to hang around with me!
47. Have you ever killed an animal? No, unless you count bugs!
48. When you were twelve years old, what did you want to be when you grew up? The same thing my heart still longs for me to be now, a musician.
49. Do you believe in an afterlife? Yeah, kinda, sorta, maybe...
50. What would you like to accomplish with the remaining years of your life? Find the soulmate mentioned in question #42 and live happily ever after... Yeah, right!
Top 5 songs/albums you listen to when you are stressed.
Nothing can soothe a poor unfortunate stressed out me better than the sound of Klaus Meine's Voice. Is this going to be one of those all Scorpions music memes? You betcha!
First, the Albums:
1. Eye II Eye There are just so many fun songs on this album, and fun songs are great for relieving stress.
2. Savage Amusement Down and dirty rockers also make me feel good.
3. Blackout Because of a certain song that is on it...
4. Face The Heat The guitar work on this one is so incredibly unique that it makes me forget all of my worries!
5. Moment Of Glory What do you get when you combine a metal band and a symphony orchestra? A great way to beat stress!
Now, for the songs...
1.Du Bist So Schmutzig Something about singing along with those German lyrics just makes me feel better.
2.No One Like You I can't listen to this song without thinking of the video.
And thinking of something as lovely as that is a real plus when it comes to stress relief.
3. Passion Rules The Game At work, pop cd in personal cd player. Put on headphones and skip to this song. Sing along, loudly! (especially on the "Yeah, yeah, Oooo..., part). In short, torture co-workers! Stress is all gone!
4. Priscilla Nothing beats stress like a song about killing cockroaches!
5. Freshly Squeezed The lyrics make absolutely no sense, but who cares! A good reminder that some things that don't make sense are actually GOOD!
It's Time For 
