Creed - Live DVD

I bought myself a little after Christmas - Christmas gift the other day.  As you know from previous posts, I love Mark Tremonti.  Not in an "I want to marry him" way, but in a "he is so freakin' phenomenal on the guitar" way.  So when I found out that Creed had recently filmed a concert DVD, I went on the hunt.  Wouldn't you know it, I found a copy at Wal Mart.  It was the same price as Amazon (and I didn't have to pay shipping!) so I picked it up. 

I haven't watch the whole thing through but the concert stuff is pretty cool.  I wish the cameras would stay still a bit more, but hey, what can you say about a band that's in the Guiness Book of World Records for most cameras used to film a live show. 

The behind the scenes/interview stuff is interesting.  I'm always interested in the how's and why's of stuff.  I hope to have some time this weekend to check out the whole thing.  But what I have seen so far is very cool and worth the money.

Alter Bridge also has a DVD so I think I'll be getting that for my birthday.  (AB is another band that Mark played in when Creed was on their break) 

If you are a Creed fan, or a Mark Tremonti fan, or even a Scott Stapp fan (which I am not) you should really check out this DVD.  If you have a big enough screen and a good sound system, it could be a lot like being there!

Well, Hello

Hi, there, bloggy world!  Hope everybody survived the weekend okay.  We did a whirlwind of family gatherings.  Tuesday - Lyric's birthday, Wednesday - dinner at our house (usually this is done Christmas eve), Thursday - out to eat, Friday - food at my mom's and Fisher's brothers.  Saturday we got a little bit of a breather, but E came over and then Fisher and I took the girls, E, and two cousins to see Alvin and the Chipmunks.  Sunday was church, grocery shopping, Indian food (thanks, Darla!), and then family sledding.  I didn't go because for some reason my neck is bothering me again.  Last night was dinner with Sarah and the girls. 

My girls are trying to fill up the rest of their week as well, and I am having none of that!  Well, maybe a little of that.  They are both making plans for New Year's Eve.  Jazz is going to a sleepover, Lyric is hoping to babysit.  Lyric is about $30 away from having enough money to pay for driver's ed.  I'm coming to terms with it.  I don't want my hang ups to become hers.  And she won't get her license for a year anyway, so she might as well "practice".  It still is creeping me out a little.

What did Santa bring me, you might be wondering.  Santa brought me a Sony Cybershot.  It's honestly not a camera I would have picked out for myself, but so far I LOVE IT!  It has some fun features (smile detection and a food photo setting) that I've never seen before, but I've taken quite a few pix in low light and they are turning out great!  Somewhere in the settings I saw that it can focus up to 23 feet away!  I expect Great pix of the Rickster this year, no matter where our seats are!  I'll post some of the other photos I've taken soon.

Time Sure Flies When You Are Having Fun

Lyric turns 15 tomorrow.  I can't even believe it.  She's a freshman in high school, talking about driver's ed, growing into a wonderful young woman.  But every once in a while I still see snippets of my baby girl.  I guess that never goes away because my mom told me yesterday that I am still her baby girl.  So during this super busy, canigeteverythingdoneandenjoytheholidays week, I wanted to wish Lyric a very Happy Birthday.  You'll always be my baby girl!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

and it's a darn good thing that I'm done with school!  Jazz had dance last night so Fisher ran her back and forth while I tried to find an adaptor for the tapes we use in our camcorder (no go) and picked up a few more Christmas gifts (score!).  Tonight Lyric has a show choir performance.(did you see Taylor Lautner's show choir skit on SNL?  Funny funny stuff)  Tomorrow, daytime Lyric has a show choir performance.  Tomorrow night, Jazz has a band concert.  Thursday night - 7pm - holiday musical for Jazz.  Thursday night - 8pm - band concert for Lyric.  Friday night - NOTHING!  Thank goodness.  except it will probably turn into a shopping night because I have a little list of people to finish buying for.  Saturday is busy with Girl Scout stuff and then a hockey game.  Sunday is church and cookie baking.  Monday - first day of Winter break.  I'm sure the girls will sleep in while Fisher and I get up and head to work.  The good thing is, when I don't have to get Jazz off,  I can sleep for almost an extra hour.  YAY for extra sleep.

I'll try to put up some pix of Lyric in her show choir outfit and link to the SNL skit. I'm also going to link another one because it is funny, funny stuff.

Now back to your regularly scheduled Tuesday!

1200 songs and nothing good to listen to

That's where I found myself Saturday night.  I have over 1200 songs on my ipod, and I couldn't find one that I wanted to listen to all the way through.  It might have had something to do with being in a crabby mood but usually something will catch my interest.  It might also have something to do with the fact that a lot of what's on my ipod is Jonas Brothers, High School Musical, Miley Cyrus and Demi Lavato.   I can't wait until everybody has their own ipods and I can only have MY music on MY ipod.  And another thing, what's up with the ratings/stars.  If I like a song welll enough to put it on the ipod, it's a no brainer that it's a four or five star song.  Duh!  I'm not putting crap on there.  Anyway, here's a Random twenty songs from my random shuffle.  (By the way - I'm taking suggestions for new bands to listen to!  I might even do a few reviews and CD giveaways!  Leave a comment.  If I check your suggestion and blog about it, there will be something in it for you - I promise.)


December Twenty Random Songs from BILL (Believe in Love and Laughter)  aka Aim's Ipod

Someone Like You - Boys Like Girls  (Love Drunk CD)
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite - The Beatles (Love CD)
Rent - Three Days Grace (One X CD)
Down With The Sickness - Disturbed (The Sickness CD)
Sweet Dreams - Rick Springfield (My Precious Little One CD)
Cofee and Cigarettes - Augustana (All the Stars and Boulevards CD)
Where Love Went Wrong - Augustana (Can't Love, Can't Hurt CD)
Hate Me - Five Finger Death Punch (The Way of The Fist CD)
Lost Without You - Darren Hayes (Live at the Aria Awards 2003)
Thriller - Michael Jackson
Faithful - Rick Springfield (Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance CD)
On The Inside - Daughtry (Leave This Town CD)
Senior Year Spring Musical - HSM 3
Supermassive Black Hole - Muse (Twilight soundtrack )
There's A Fine, Fine Line - Avenue Q
First Time - Matt Nathanson*
Life After You - Daughtry
When You're Home - In The Heights
I Knew I Loved You - Savage Garden (Affirmation CD)
Always - Bon Jovi (Crossroad CD)

So, maybe when I take all of Lyric's stuff and Jazz's stuff off, I will find more I like.  *Matt Nathanson has a cute song called "Princess".  If you look it up on you tube, it's pretty funny.  He's got a nice little guitar hook that sounds strangly similar to Jessie's Girl.  And he says he's trying to get sued by Rick Springfield.  If I could link the you tube thing here I would.  But go check it out.

The Newest Playlist....

Those of you who have been coming here for awhile know that I love music.  I could live without just about anything but music.  My lastest playlist is listed below.  There's no real common theme except these are all songs that I like.  I added a little about why I like the songs. Any of these songs have special meaning for you??  What are you listening to??


PLAYLIST DECEMBER 2009
(No particular order)

Tangled Up In You - Staind  (okay, seriously, there are so many things I love about this song.  The guitar, the voice, the words...if you haven't heard it you need to go check it out.)

Thing for You - Hinder (Have loved Hinder since I saw them live in February.  I missed them a couple weeks ago at Austin's Fuel Room but I bet it was a wonderful show)

When You Say You Love Me - Darren Hayes (Darren is one of my Aussie loves.  He has a smooth sexy voice and I can't get enough.  This song is very sweet.)

Whiter Shade of Pale - Eric Clapton (heard this the other day for the first time in a long time.  Love it!)

To Be With You - Mr. Big (A throw back to my 80's hairbands.  This song always, always, ALWAYS makes me smile! I dare you to listen to it and not smile.)

Lips of an Angel - Hinder (there's the boys again.  This song tells a story that lots of people can probably relate to)

Life After You - Daughtry (this is the song with my "tagline" in it - All that I'm after is a life full of laughter)

Learn My Lesson - Daughtry (The song about going back even when you know it might be wrong)

Jet City Woman - Queensryche (another hairband throw back.  Geoff Tate has an interesting voice. Nice song.)

Stop back.  I will be doing another Random 20 soon!

Believe....(this is not a true story- well most of it anyway!)

I've always believed that everything happens for a reason.  I also believe that God has a plan for each and everyone of us, even if we don't understand the why's of it.  I know, I know, bad things happen.  Bad things even happen to good people.  But I still believe that whatever happens is part of God's plan for me.  I have to believe it, otherwise I couldn't get through the day.

I believe there's a reason my first baby didn't live more than 3 days.  There's a reason my second pregnancy ended with a miscarriage.  Those reasons are the two very beautiful children that I do have and I value every day.

There's a reason I didn't know my dad growing up.  I didn't find him until I was 30.  Now we talk on the phone nearly every week.

And there's a reason that the love of my life broke my heart when I was eighteen.  When you are eighteen, everything seems so intense, and it was that intensity that ruined our relationship.

I moved on and so did he.  We've both dated.  We've both married.  We've both had kids.  We've both been divorced.  And now, I am sitting here writing this while he rakes leaves and lets our kids jump into the pile.


Okay people, what do you think??  Have I grabbed your attention or are you thoroughly bored??  Leave a comment, let me know. The subtle blue shows what is true.

Words to Live By....

In all the craziness that is my life right now, I've found so great sayings to help me get through.  My favorites are below.


Looking back only confuses and is unnecessary for the future (Thanks to MJ for this one!)

What’s meant to be will always find a way


If the timing’s right and the god’s are with you, something special happens


When nothing goes right, go left.


Never give up on someone you can’t go a day without thinking about

Do you have a favorite saying?  What are your words of inspiration??
If you want to figure out what’s right for you, sometimes it’s enough to figure out what’s wrong.

Hello, again....

Just a quick hey to all my faithful readers!  I know you are all wondering where I have been.  it's coming down to the end of the semester, plus it was a holiday, plus things have been C-R-A-Z-Y at home!  Sorry to keep you all waiting for my next installment!

Last Friday, I was able to hang out with some very good friends of mine and I had a GREAT time!  Thanks, guys!  You know who you are.  This coming weekend, I will be going out to dinner with my almost but not quite sister in law, S (she would be the mom to the cutest baby ever) and then we are probably going to hook up with the above mentioned friends for some adult beverages.

S and I are going through some similar things right now so it will be nice to sit and chat with her one on one. 

School is done this week.  I have two finals next week and then I get a whole month with NO SCHOOL!  I won't even know what to do with myself.  Except Christmas and Lyric's birthday are in there, so something will come up I'm sure.

I started planning my 40th birthday party.  (More than just the famous faces)  Details are coming in slowly, but it's going to be a great time!  I ain't afeared of being 40 no more!

I'll try to post again this week, but if not, you will for sure get an update after finals!

Love and whatnot to you all!

Aim

Busy Weekend....

Thursday and Friday Lyric was in the high school play.  She did a great job and it was really fun to see her "in her element".  After the show Friday, we did the usual Dairy Queen trip.  It was even fun for me this time because I had two of my very best friends with me!  These are the two friends that I referred to earlier that are getting married next year.  i love them both so much and even though we have had  times when we haven't been in touch much, they are back in my life and I'm so glad.  Maybe we just needed to have the seperation so we could realize how important we truly are to each other.  I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Saturday was pretty laid back.  We went to see New Moon in the afternoon.  It was great!  A little slow at the begininng (I was ready for some action and special effects) but overall, I think it was a decent movie.  Jazz wants to see it again and even asked if she could add it to her Christmas list.  I told her she could, but it wouldn't be on DVD before Christmas.  She was crushed.  Almost as much as when she realized (this weekend) that the tooth fairy isn't real.  Yeah, I'm a bad mom/tooth fairy and forgot to put the dollor under the pillow.  I forget that she's still a little girl.  Anyway, Fisher tried to cover because she put the tooth under her pillow again last night.  We can hang onto the fairy tale a little bit longer.

Yesterday was a church and homework day.  I finished my chemistry paper and then found out that I have to write a paper for Microbes.  YIKES!  I'm so done with papers.  I can't wait for the semester to be over.  16 days and I'm free for about a month.  I'll be enjoying every one of the off days!

Lyric and I did run down and see the holiday kick off parade.  It was nice because it wasn't as cold this year as it has been in past years.

And now it is Monday and we're back to the grind.  Actually the girls only have two days of school this week.  It will be nice for them to have a whole bunch of down time.

Where I Am and Where I Want To Be....

I've been trying to figure out for years what I want to be when I grow up.  Sneaking up on 40 makes me think a little deeper.  I'm all set for nursing school to start in January, but I'm starting to second guess myself.  Am I too old to take this on?  But then on the other hand, it's a couple of years of hard work and then the payoff is going to be wonderful.  I've wanted to be a nurse since i was little.  Mom and Nurse were the two "jobs" I've never stopped wanting.  Maybe I'm just a little freaked out because it seems that everything is about to change....my job, my schooling, etc etc etc. 

I have a vision of where I would like to see myself in say 2-3 years (depending on how long it takes me to finish school).  I've never been much of a visual learner, but maybe writing down what I want to do and where I see myself will help with the process.

This may seem like a somewhat convoluted post to most of you, but it actually makes a lot of sense to me and it's helping me FOCUS....yeah for random blogging.

stay tuned for the next installment of "Aim is about to lose her mind".....

MIA...

Yes, that's right...I was missing in action.  But there wasn't really any action.  I was at home suffering and recovering.  It seems that as you get older you are more prone to injuries caused by sleep*.  The other night I pulled a muscle in my neck while sleeping.  it was sore but manageable until Sunday morning.  I could barely move, it hurt in any and all positions and I would almost say it was the worst pain I've ever had.  (and I have given birth!)

So, my very lovely and wonderful mom drove me to the immediate care clinic so I could get it checked out.  I was glad to hear that the doctor thought it was just a pulled muscle (I was starting to worry about broken vertebrae, broken neck, etc etc).  He gave me some very lovely medication and I was able to rest and relax.  Actually, once I took the meds it was out of my hands.  GOOD STUFF!  I ended up staying home from work on Monday and Tuesday.  I'm back in the swing now, trying to play catch up on everything.  It's going slow.

Over the weekend, I also found out that my two bestest friends in the whole world are finally getting married (to each other!) after 15 years.  I'm super excited for them.  Not because I didn't always think they'd be together but because he's wanted to marry her for years and she's been holding out.  They've both been married before and I think she was a little scared!  You may get periodic wedding planning updates.  The wedding is set for next September so we have a lot to do before then. 

Anyway, I'm off to finish up some more work type stuff before lunch.  Have a great day.

*This is not an official report, it's my own philosophy.  :-)

Who's Coming To My Birthday Party

Many of you may know that I will be turning 40 soon (69 days!).  The other day, I told my girls that if they were not going to be having a party for me that I needed to know so that I could plan it for myself.  Not a "bring me presents because I'm turning 40" but just friends and family getting together for a good time.  They said that they were planning to have a party but hadn't talked with their dad about it yet.  I just asked that they let me know.  I won't be offended because Fisher is not much of a party guy or a planner so if they can't pull it off, it's totally okay.

Somehow, this party plan of mine morphed into "if I could invite anybody to my party who would it be"?  Well, you know that Rick Springfield is at the top of the list.  And I want Daughtry to perform.  Also, Patrick Dempsey, David Boreanaz, Josh Kelley and Katherine Heigel, I can't remember who else was on the list, but I did write the list on a chalkboard, so I'll trying to take a photo to post. 

Then it was decided that if they can't really come (but who wouldn't want to come to a 40th birthday party for me?!?!?) then we would just put up head shots of all the famous people I want to invite as the decorations.  The girls are loving this idea and are adding to the list almost daily.  So who knows what kind of party it will be but I know there will be a lot of famous faces there!  :-)

So, I just want to extend the invite:  Rick, Patrick, David, Josh, Katherine: if you are free on January 22, 2010, you are MORE than welcome to attend the above mentioned party.  Email me for the details!

Okay, so I wrote down all the "people" I want to invite.  Here's the list: Rick Springfield, Peter Facinelli (and family!), Daughtry, David Boreanaz, Sandra Bullock, Patrick Dempsey, Darren Hayes, Rob Thomas, Indina Menzel and Taye Diggs, and Josh Kelley and Katherine Heigl. (all names in purple are musicians so I think we'd be having one hell of a concert!) 

Recently added:  Creed.  I'm getting over my dislike of Scott Stapp, especially if it means seeing Mark Tremonti do his thing on the guitar!

Pandora Radio

I may have posted about this many moons ago, but since I've been using it again, I wanted to throw it out there.  Pandora radio ROCKS!  For those of you that don't know, Pandora is internet radio.  But it's not just any internet radio.  It's customizable internet radio.  I have several "stations" so I can pick music that fits my mood.  Like I have a Rick Springfield station (duh, like you didn't see that coming), and a Daughtry, Seether, the Eagles, Def Leppard, Blink 182, Posion, Boston, Bon Jovi, Hinder, and more.  What Pandora does is plays songs "in the same vein as" whatever your chosen station is.  For example, on the Daughtry station I get songs by Three Doors Down, Lifehouse, Train, and Daughtry.  It's fun and easy and free to use and commerical free (which for me is by FAR the greatest perk!).

So, if you haven't already checked this out...what are you waiting for!?

Redecorating

Yes, that's right, after more than 3 years I'm finally making my blog "my blog"...Thanks to Andy for helping me do that!  I'm moving things around, sprucing things up and just giving it a new look.  I don't know how long the transition will take, but please stop by regularly to see the progress!

Music Music and More Music

As you can tell from several of my recent posts- music is a huge part of my life. In general it always has and even more so recently. I haven't had time to watch TV so my ipod is my constant companion. Today you get to see a random list of what comes up on shuffle. I added music to my ipod recently and I have 1050 songs loaded right now. That's a lot of music and it's all varying styles. Pop, rock, 80's, broadway, movie soundtracks, etc. Different music for different moods. I did listen to Daughtry's Leave This Town for 2 weeks straight. Now, I know all the words so I can move onto something else....

Here's the random list:

I Saw Red - Warrant
All My Friends Say - Luke Bryan
Senior Year Spring Musical - HSM3 soundtrack
I Want Action - Poison
Overcome - Creed
Living in Oz - Rick Springfield
Where I Wanna Be - Waltham
Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now - Hairspray soundtrack(Broadway version)
Don't Walk Away - Rick Springfield (If you have read my book, you should know that this is the song that inspired the scene where Derek goes to ask Abbi to come home. If you haven't read my book - Why the heck not?)
It's Your Wedding Day - The Wedding Singer soundtrack (broadway)
Hold On - Jonas Brothers (dude, I have a pre teen and a teenager in my house)
Entr'acte - Mama Mia soundtrack
Broken Again - Another Animal
Earth to Vanessa - The Squirts
Let Me Sign - Twilight soundtrack
Walk All Over You - AC/DC
The Middle - Demi Lovato (this is a Jazz song)
Dance Hall Drug - Boys Like Girls (I like this band, they kind of sound like Secondhand Serenade)
Learn My Lesson - Daughtry
I Don't Know You Anymore - Savage Garden

So, do you like any of these songs?? Not heard any?? Need any suggestions for new music you might like?? Let me know. I'll do a mixed CD of Random Songs and send it to one lucky winner! In your comment make sure you leave me a way to contact you.

Technical Help

I would love to make some changes in the surroundings here at Random Thoughts. If you know how to change things up (I want three colums and a "Pretty" header) or know somebody who does, please let me know. I could probably afford to pay a little bit, but I'd like to try some things for free first. There might even be a giveaway involved for somebody. Let me know. Thanks!

MPLO giveaway winner

Gina is the winner of the Rick Springfield CD.


Gina, I need you to contact me (writeone.two@gmail.com) or leave a comment here with your contact information by 11/1.

Thanks to all who played along.

Top Ten Songs That Can Make Me Smile

This is today's top ten...it's very possible that it could change tomorrow!

1) "Taylor, The Latte Boy" - Kristin Chenoweth
2) "Nineteen Somethin'" - Mark Wills
3) "So What" - Pink
4) "So Beautiful" - Darren Hayes
5) "Dancing Through Life" - Wicked soundtrack
6) "Supermassive Black Hole" - Muse
7) "Bruce" - Rick Springfield
8) "Popular" - Wicked soundtrack
9) "I Get Excited" - Rick Springfield
10) "Hey Katie" - Josh Kelley

What songs make you smile??

Don't forget - today is the last day to enter the my-precious-little-one-giveaway

Check My Brain...and Overcome

More music reviews for your enjoyment! I often have a mental list of bands I want to hear more from or songs I want to download. This weekend I was able to add some music to my ipod. here's what I think:

Overcome - Creed. I love the lyrics. I liked Creed back in the day. Never have been a big Scott Stapp fan, but I love, Love, LOVE Mark Tremonti. He can play guitar for me anytime! So I heard this on the radio the other day and was torn. Love Mark, hate Scott. Oh, what the heck. I bought the single. I don't know who wrote it but it's pretty telling of the rocky Creed relationship. Typical sound but a good song over all. "I'm entitled to overcome, completely stunned, I'm numb..."

Check My Brain - Alice In Chains. I've never been big AIC fan...it's one of those "that was a bad time in my life and this music reminds me of that" so I was again torn. The title of this song makes me laugh and even though I don't know any of the lyrics, it's worth a listen if you like AIC or if you need a little musical therapy.

If You Only Knew - Shinedown. Great song! "If you only knew I'm hanging by a thread" There's definitely a story behind this song but I think that everybody can listen to it and take their own "lesson" from it.

Jet - Rick Springfield (cover). recorded live in Nashville. Fun song. Rick and the boys did a great job with it. (For the record - I also bought the Paul McCartney version)

Live Like We're Dying - Kris Allen. It took me a couple of listens but now I like it. I think it will do okay on the radio. Kris has a huge following and I don't think people will be disappointed.

Time For Miracles - Adam Lambert. yes, I'm admitting it. I bought it. I didn't like Adam at first but then I took him for what he was - a drama geek - and it's all good. not a great single, but it is on a soundtrack so maybe his solo CD will be a bit different.

Although these next few songs are not "new", I haven't mentioned them yet so I'll throw it out there today. Sevendust - Hope and Sorrow. Buy this album if you like rock at all. Sevendust alone is great but you also get "Hope" featuring Mark Tremonti (see above note!), "The Past" featuring Chris Daughtry, and "Sorrow" featuring Miles Kennedy (lead singer of Alter Bridge-I guess I can wait for Creed to get done messing around to get a new AB CD). These are great songs for differently reasons. Hard hitting, story telling, rock n roll.