Poetry Friday

GUNSLINGER
by Matthew Sanders, James Sullivan, Brian Haner Jr. and Zachary Baker

Yeah, you've been alone
I've been gone for far too long
But with all that we've been through
After all this time I'm coming home to you

Never let it show
The pain I've grown to know
'Cause with all these things we do
It don't matter when I'm coming home to you

I reach towards the sky I've said my goodbyes
My heart's always with you now
I won't question why so many have died
My prayers have made it through yeah
'Cause with all these things we do
It don't matter when I'm coming home to you

Read the rest HERE.

"Gunslinger" isn't actually a poem, but a song about a soldier away from home by the rock band Avenged Sevenfold. I love poetry, and I love music. I love the rhythm and word choice of both. When I purchase a new CD, I always look to see if the lyrics are posted. It's like reading poetry! I am going to see Avenged Sevenfold (with Buckcherry and Papa Roach) tonight, so I thought I'd post one of the songs I will hear (and sing along to) tonight.
Dance on over to Mommy's Favorite Children's Books for more poetry links!

This or That Thursday

Today’s This or That concerns a body part. An important body part. Especially to us writer folk. I’m talking about your hands. I am curious. Are you right-handed or left-handed?
Some famous left-handed writers include Lewis Carroll, Peter Benchley, Mark Twain, and H. G. Wells.
A soon to be famous right-handed writer includes Ben Esch (his debut book, Sophomore Undercover came out this week!).
A not so famous right-handed writer includes me.
The following presidents were/are left-handed: James A. Garfield, Herbert Hoover, Harry S. Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama.
The following presidents were/are right-handed: the ones not on the above list.
These musicians were/are left-handed: Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), Phil Collins (Genesis), Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Crystal Gale, Jimi Hendrix, Glenn Frey (the Eagles), Paul McCartney (Beatles/Wings), Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin).
Did you know that Bart Simpson is left-handed? Cowabunga, dude! But not Homer. Doh!

Please use your right or left hand (or heck- use your toe!) to vote on the poll on the right if you are lefty or a righty and/or comment!

Tune For Tuesday

This weekend I am attending another concert. I'm going to see Avenged Sevenfold, Buckcherry, and Papa Roach. Today's tune is by one of these artists, Papa Roach. Papa Roach was formed in 1993, but their major label debut album, Infest, came out in 1999. Their first single, "Last Resort" became a radio success. Today's song comes from their fourth album, The Paramour Sessions. Today's song, "To Be Loved," was the first single from this 2006 album. It was also the theme song to WWE Monday Night Raw (which I have never seen in my life nor plan to). But the song rocks! Their next album, Metamorphosis, drops March 24th.

I always liked Papa Roach's sound. "Last Resort," "She Loves Me Not," and "Forever" were some favorites of mine. Last summer they were part of the line up for the Cruefest concert fest which I was attending, so I purchased many songs before the concert. I ended up liking Papa Roach even more than their radio songs. When I saw them live in concert, my opinion of them changed even more dramatically. I have seen a lot of concerts, and I have never seen a frontman put as much energy into a concert than Papa Roach's lead singer, Jacoby Shaddix. He was all over the stage, came out into the crowd (see picture), and whether you liked the band or not, you could not help jumping up and down to the music. So after that concert, I became a huge Papa Roach fan. This band can bring it live.

At Cruefest!

Listen up, turn it up and rock it out!

"To Be Loved" by Papa Roach:

Also, please check out Christy's blog! Leave a comment, and you have a chance to win P.J. Hoover's cool book, The Emerald Tablet!

Oscar Night

I do like the Oscars-the glitz, the glamour, the beautiful gowns. I’m not terribly qualified to write about movies as I only see a few a year, and when I do it is usually silly comedies that never get nominated (like Step Brothers or Forgetting Sarah Marshall). I did see a few nominated movies: The Dark Knight, Iron Man, and the animated ones! I do want to watch some of the nominated movies like The Reader and Revolutionary Road, someday on DVD…But I did watch the Oscars (okay, I fastforwarded through them- it’s a long flippin’ show!) so I will write about it. Find the winners here.

Random Thoughts about the Academy Awards
1. Wolverine can sing AND dance!
2. Meryl Streep has had 15 Oscar nominations! WOW! She is one classy, talented actress.
3. Goldie Hawn is so gosh darn cute.
4. Loved Tina Fey’s and Steve Martin’s entrance.
5. I think Jennifer Aniston and Jack Black should do a movie together.
6. I had to laugh at Seth Rogan and James Franco.
7. During Best Actress, it was very touching to hear past winners speak of each nominee. You could feel the nervousness and heartfelt emotions of the nominees.

8. Ack! My DVR didn't tape the whole show, it cut out at Angelina Jolie's nomination.

9. Though I'm not too disappointed, this show is soooooooooo long!
10. I need to get out more and see more movies…

Of course most everyone looked beautiful, but here are some of my favorites of the night.
My fave dress: Sarah Jessica Parker. She looked like a modern princess(but I hate to say I didn’t love her hair tonight…).
Best dressed male: Robert Downey, Jr.
Best dressed females: Diane Lane (classic and exquisite with the perfect accessories) and Taraji P. Hensen (again, beautiful strapless with a gorgeous necklace)
Best hair and makeup: Alicia Keys

Poetry Friday

My son received a mini stamper with a frog on it with his preschool Valentine’s Day goodies. He has been stamping that lil green frog on all the boxes, papers, and magazines he can find. So I found this funny frog poem to read to him and will also share it with you.

My Frog is a Frog by Jack Prelutsky

Hop on over to The Holly and the Ivy for more poetry!

This or That Thursday

Today's This or That is about beverages-pop/soda specifically. Now that I wrote that, I am curious, do you refer to it as pop, soda, soft drink, or carbonated beverage? I say pop, which I think is a Midwest thing...But that is not the true question of the day (but feel free to answer it in the comment section!). I'm talkin' brands today. Pepsi brand or Coca Cola brand... PepsiCo sodas include Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, Diet Sierra Mist, and the new Mountain Dew Voltage (anyone tried it yet?). Coca Cola soft drinks include Coke, Diet Coke, Cherry Coke, Sprite, and Fanta! Did you know that Coca Cola offers more than 2,800 products in over 200 countries? Wow!
My pick is below. My favorite Coke is the fountain pop from McDonald's...Yum. I'm thirsty now. I'm even thinking of giving up pop for Lent (even though I'm Lutheran, but the rest of the house is Catholic). My son is giving up all sweets, so I thought I'd give up something. Not sure I can do it though, even though I only have three or four Cokes a week....

Do you enjoy Coca Cola soft drinks or Pepsi soft drinks? Don't forget to vote on the poll on the right!

Disney Highlights

I'm baaaack! My family had a fabulous trip filled with good rides, good food, good weather, and good family bonding. We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge which allows you to watch animals like giraffes and zebras roam in the savannah off your balcony. Our favorite Disney restaurant, Jiko, is also located here. Here are a few of the many highlights of our trip.
Day 1 Animal Kingdom
We enjoyed the Kilimanjaro Safari , It's Tough to Be a Bug 4D show, and Dinosaur ride (see below). You can't see any of my three children because they are hiding! This ride is dark, bumpy, and scary. I liked it, but my four and six year old were a bit scared. The Maharaja Jungle Trek was fun walking around seeing exotic animals. We were a few feet away from giant bats! With no screen or windows to separate us! Yikes! My husband and I also enjoyed the rollercoaster, Expedition Everest.

Day 2 Magic Kingdom
My top three rides were the Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (my favorite), Space Mountain (my two oldest rode this for the first time), and Pirates of Caribbean ride. My kids favorite was Splash Mountain. I took my youngest to Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor which is a cute interactive comedy show. The park was not too crowded so we enjoyed many different rides and attractions.
Later that night my husband and I went to Epcot while his parents watched the kids. We enjoyed sampling different foods at each country. Here we are having champagne, cheese and baguettes, and creme brulee in France!

Day 3 Sea World
We enjoyed seeing the dolphins, manatees, alligators. We "Dined With Shamu" and had a great buffet lunch next to the killer whale tank and saw them up close. My favorite was the Atlantis water ride. My son's (in the green shirt) look is hilarious!

We had dinner in Epcot's Norway at Akershus with the Disney princesses.

Day 4 Downtown Disney
We had never been here before so we met my inlaws' friends here for lunch at TRex, a cool, loud prehistoric restaurant. We basically shopped and visited here. It was a good break from the parks. The kids liked the huge Lego store the best! I liked the huge Virgin megastore filled with music CD's and clothing.

Day 5 Hollywood Studios
The new Toy Story Mania ride is awesome! You try and hit targets throughout the ride. The kids and adults had so much fun on this ride. It was the longest wait in all the parks though! We are huge Star Wars fans so the Star Wars tour ride was fun. We also saw the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. I was even picked to be part of the show (see photo) ! The Tower of Terror is my favorite ride at Disney, but I had to skip it this day as my daughter got sick, and I whisked her back to the hotel.

What a great getaway!