My Life According to U2

I saw this on Facebook and thought I would give it a shot ;)

Using only song names from ONE artist, cleverly answer these questions. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "my life according to (band name)."

1. Are you a male or female? “Party Girl”
2. Describe yourself: “Even Better Than the Real Thing”
3. How do you feel: “Magnificent”
4. Your family: “Sweetest Thing”
5. If you could go anywhere, where would you go: “City of Blinding Lights”
6. Your favorite form of transportation: “Kite”
7. Your best friend: “Yahweh”
8. Your favorite color is: “Lemon”
9. What's the weather like: “Beautiful Day”
10. Favorite day: “Somedays are Better Than Others”
11. If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: “Walk On”
12. What is life to you? “No Line On The Horizon”
13. Your current relationship: “All I Want is You”
14. Looking for: “Where the Streets Have No Name”
15. Your fear: “Lady with the Spinning Head” (it’s a b-side and a good one I might add!)
16. What is the best advice you have to give: “Love and Peace or Else”
17. If you could change your name, you would change it to: “Grace”
18. Thought for the day: “Breathe”
19. How I would like to: “Trying to Throw Your Arms Around the World”
20. Your pet: “One”
21. My motto: “Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own”

Lemon

Bono wrote this song after viewing film of his mother in a yellow dress.

Bono's mother died at her own father's funeral of an aneurysm. Bono was only 14.

Lemon was released on the Zooropa album, that was recorded part way through the Zoo TV tour. Zoo TV not only featured The Fly persona but also MacPhisto. MacPhisto performed the song on stage as well as in the video.

"We came up with a sort of old English Devil, a pop star long
past his prime returning regularly from sessions on The Strip
in Vegas and regaling anyone who would listen to him at
cocktail hour with stories from the good old, bad old days."
~ Bono's description of MacPhisto

Lemon is not only a song that U2 sings, but they featured it in their Popmart tour. The lemon was mirrored and during the second part of the concert the band came out of the lemon. It was quite a sight to see, with lights reflecting off of the mirrors. lol

October

FACT: Bono lost (or someone stole) the lyrics he was writing for this album while U2 was touring the U.S. for their first album, Boy. The album was pretty much thrown together.

One of my favorite songs from the album is October, very different from any other U2 song you will hear.

Dear Editor, We Don't Care...

Today I opened up my People magazine and paged through it while I had a few minutes. I turn to the "Mailbag" section (letters to the editor) and see a photo of one of the latest covers featuring Rob Pattinson. The headline read, "Twilight's Robert Pattinson: His Messy Love Life."

Here is the letter that got my attention:

"Robert Pattinson should have a messy love life; that's what being his age is all about..... So go ahead, Robert, play the field!" Lydia Louli - Ottawa, Canada

**APPLAUSE**

That is EXACTLY what I said to my hubby after reading the article myself. Rob is young, good looking and I am sure has his pick of women to say the least. Let him be.

BTW, thanks People for actually posting those letters.

Stay (Faraway, So Close)

Recently I was thinking about this video. My favorite part is when the band starts to step in...wonder what I mean? Just watch...

Walk On

This song always pops into my head when I'm down or battling against something difficult. Take action and move through it...Walk On.

And love is not the easy thing
The only baggage you can bring...
And love is not the easy thing....
The only baggage you can bring
Is all that you can't leave behind

And if the darkness is to keep us apart
And if the daylight feels like it's a long way off
And if your glass heart should crack
And for a second you turn back
Oh no, be strong

Walk on, walk on
What you got they can't steal it
No they can't even feel it
Walk on, walk on...
Stay safe tonight

You're packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been
A place that has to be believed to be seen
You could have flown away
A singing bird in an open cage
Who will only fly, only fly for freedom

Walk on, walk on
What you've got they can't deny it
Can't sell it, can't buy it
Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight

And I know it aches
And your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much
Walk on, walk on

Home, hard to know what it is if you've never had one
Home, I can't say where it is but I know I'm going home
That's where the hurt is

I know it aches
How your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much
Walk on, walk on

Leave it behind
You've got to leave it behind
All that you fashion
All that you make
All that you build
All that you break
All that you measure
All that you steal
All this you can leave behind
All that you reason
All that you sense
All that you speak
All you dress up
All that you scheme.

(Click the title of this post to view the video)

CoeXisT

This is a video from the the Vertigo Tour. To me this moment spoke volumes to our world needing peace because we all come from the same place...

New Moon Trailer - 14 Seconds...

And here is one with extra bits from MTV's Movie Blog (pretty funny I might add ;):

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Electrical Storm

Not a very well known song, but for those of you with the Best of U2 1990-2000 may have heard it. Enjoy the video. It's very different than anything U2 has ever done.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

This song is one of U2's most recognized songs; it's actually one of my favorites but not for reasons that people might think.

The song brings to life the mindless killing that has gone on and still happens in Ireland today. This song in particular is about civil rights activists being gunned down by British troops in Northern Ireland.

Bono made this statement in the middle of performing Sunday Blood Sunday. It was captured on film on Rattle and Hum:

"And let me tell you somethin'. I've had enough of Irish Americans who haven't been back to their country in twenty or thirty years come up to me and talk about the resistance, the revolution back home…and the glory of the revolution…and the glory of dying for the revolution. F*ck the revolution! They don't talk about the glory of killing for the revolution. What's the glory in taking a man from his bed and gunning him down in front of his wife and his children? Where's the glory in that? Where's the glory in bombing a Remembrance Day parade of old age pensioners, their medals taken out and polished up for the day. Where's the glory in that? To leave them dying or crippled for life or dead under the rubble of the revolution, that the majority of the people in my country don't want. No more!"

That was "no more" of the song being sung at a concert for over 10 years.

The first U2 concerts I was able to attend were the Popmart tour. I saw them before they went to Europe and afterwords. I remember being at the concert with one of my very good U2 freak friends and hearing the guitar riff from Sunday Bloody Sunday start....I gasped and turned to him! He told me that they had started performing at their concert in Sarjevo (a war torn city). That was the first time I cried at a concert... I knew I was experiencing something that was moving on so many levels...

The Edge did a solo performance during the last leg of the Popmart tour, which definately made the song more somber (as it probably should be). But the last two tours (Elevation and Vertigo) Bono headed the band in performing the song.

If you click the title of this post, it should take you to a video of the best performance of all time by of Sunday Bloody Sunday. U2, Live at Red Rocks.

Red Hill Mining Town

Song from the Joshua Tree album. I believe the general public probably will not recognize, although, it was slotted to be the second single released from the album. Might be why they made a video.

The beginning shows footage of old coal miners, but after the footage you are in for a treat... The first time I saw this video I don't think my eyes moved from the TV... Bono minus sunglasses and singing directly to the camera... nuff said....

Where the Stars Go Blue

Lately I have had one of The Corrs (another one of my favorite Irish bands) songs running through my head.

Bono teamed up with them and performed the song Where the Stars Go Blue.

Enjoy!

Pride and City

Pride (In the Name of Love)

A song that is near the top of my list of favorite U2 songs (don't ask for the list or you will get WAY too many! HA!) This song is clearly about Martin Luther King (and possibly Jesus).

"Early morning, April four
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky.
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride."

When I thin of this song I think of President Obama's inauguration concert. U2 performed this song on the very spot that MLK gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. I cannot imagine how the band felt playing on that very spot and watching MLK's Dream come true with our new president.

In light of President Obama's recent birthday (on the 4th), I found a video of this performance.

City of Blinding Lights

And since I missed posting yesterday, this video is a two in one. U2 also performed the song "City of Blinding Lights" as it was a song that Obama used during his campaign.

Let me tell ya, if you see them live in concert this song tops the charts on the frakking amazing list! I won't go into detail here in case you want to experience it live yourself (if you were lucky enough to get tickets!). But if you are curious as to what I am talking about you can click here and it will redirect you to a video... Of course, it doesn't even compare to what it's like seeing it live.

What can I give back to God, for the blessing he poured out of me?

"Where the Streets Have No Name"

This is one song that I greatly anticipate seeing live. Ever hear someone say that being at a U2 concert is a religious experience? Well, this video gives a taste of why. The video does little justice to feeling the electricity that fills the stadium.

If you want to kiss the sky, better learn how to kneel

Mysterious Ways

First song I heard when I got in the car this morning. First song my son ever knew the words to at age 2 1/2. So it's today's insight.

Meaning? Here is it straight from the horse's mouth:

"I've always believed that the spirit is a feminine thing," (Bono) says. "Mysterious Ways" is not about a particular woman. It is about women in general, and the way they entrance, and often dominate men. Says Bono, "At times I do tend to idealize women. It's easy to fall into the trap of separating them into angels and devils for the sake of the drama. But there's no way that there's ever anything anti-women involved. Our songs are not politically correct. They are written from a man's point of view. He's wrestling with different things, there's a flash of anger and hurt here and there. But I don't think women come out badly." ~ Into The Heart by Niall Stokes

Interesting, eh?

The Fly

The Fly. Bono portrays an arrogant rock star (ironic eh? although I do not believe he's arrogant personally). This persona takes the celebrity ego to the edge of reality.

Ever wonder where Bono's sunglasses came from? The Fly. Before this, Bono may have worn sunglasses here or there, but never as a permanent accessory.

During the Zoo TV tour, where The Fly emerged, Bono would walk out in public in his Fly attire - leather with the glasses.

Zoo TV was after the Rattle and Hum tour for the Joshua Tree album. JT rocketed U2 to emmense fame with songs like "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," "Where the Streets Have No Name," and "With or Without You."

Bono has said before that he wears his sunglasses for a few reasons. One because his eyes are sensative to light and two to keep some privacy. I remember reading in a book that he felt uncomfortable with perfect strangers looking straight into his eyes. Being that he leads a very public life, both on and off stage with his activism, I can imagine that he would want to keep something to himself.

Watching The Fly perform you can see this character come to life. I posted a video below of Bono taking on this persona.... enjoy

Bono's Ego

I found this article today and found it rather amusing. So today, instead of a song you get an article of Bono being truthful. The Fly, MacPhisto, whoever he was during Pop.... I believe those stage personas were extensions of himself taken to the nth degree.

Bono admits he is 'annoying'

01/08/2009 - 08:39:09

U2 singer Bono - a keen political activist and charity campaigner - knows he makes it easy for people to dislike him but insists having an "ego" is an essential part of being a successful musician.

He said: "I can be annoying. I have a kind of annoying gene.

"As Delmore Schwartz said, 'Ego is always at the wheel.' It's just with rock stars, it's more obvious. The need to be loved and admired doesn't come from a particularly pretty place.

"But people tend to do a lot of great things with it. Ego, yes, but the ego is in everything human beings are capable of. Without ego, things would be so dull."

Bono - who is joined in U2 by guitarist The Edge bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen, Jr - explained to The Guardian newspaper: "The villain is usually me. The hypocrisy of the human heart is the number one target. Rarely do we point the finger at anyone other than ourselves.

"U2 choose more interesting targets than other bands. Your own hypocrisies, your addictions we never pick the obvious. I think we make our enemies very interesting."

Only Love Can Leave Such a Mark....

September 12th is drawing near and my excitement is building. I have seen stills of the concert in action, but I have refused to watch any video from it. I want to walk into Soldier Field experiencing the full force of the 360 tour, surprises and all.

Over the last few days I have been pulling out some of U2's older work. K had never heard Zooropa. As I drove and the music played I heard nothing but the sound of the music, a rare occasion in my car with a chatty 5 year old. I asked him if he knew who was playing the music, he said he didn't know so I told him it was U2. He didn't believe me LOL!

I said, "U2 made this album...." I paused realizing how long it had been since Zooropa released, "about 15 years ago...wow."

Anyway, I am starting to jabber on like my favorite Irish man likes to....lol

All this to say that in preparation of seeing U2 for the first time in three years I'm going to post daily (hopefully) about different songs. I hope it primes me for what I will experience. And I hope it might help those of you who do not understand my obsession to join me ;)

The song I chose to highlight today is Magnificent. One of my favorite songs off of U2's new album. In fact, it has sparked a new idea for my next tattoo....but I digress once again.

Today I was cruising around U2.com and watched the video for Magnificent for the first time. I had seen images of the shoot, but never watched the whole thing.

I wanted to link directly to the video but there it's not possible. If you want to see it click here then go to the third column and follow it down to the 6th row.

You won't be able to see the full thing, unless you are a member of U2.com, but you will get a good taste of what the video is like.

It amazes me how Bono still seems to woo the microphone as he sings into it. You can witness it for yourself in this video, with or without the membership.

I was right....

The opening scene in the next book described naked women and boobies.....yeah....good thing I braced myself lol

Thankfully it moved passed that.

Stone of Tears - Definitely written by a man

It was a good book, don't get me wrong. There were many times I found my eyes rolling up to the sky and reminding myself that a man wrote this book. Naked women, sexual violations of several kinds, gore of war.... Ok, the whole book isn't that way, but there are quite a few parts that are.

I have my audio version of the next book in the Sword of Truth series downloaded and ready to go. I will be keeping my earbuds in or close by so not to taint innocent, 5 year old ears.

I have a feeling i will be doing a lot of eye rolling again. But I gotta know what happens next!

Conehead Canine Strikes Back

Bleh. So our doggy has had some sort of itching issue since he got back from the kennel on Monday. This morning I woke up to huge clumps out of his fur (I will spare the gory details). I called the vet and they said they couldn't see him but to give him Benedryl and told me how much blah, blah, blah.

I am now thanking myself for saving that blasted e-collar that he had when his manhood was snipped away.

Right now I hear the poor thing trying to chew a bone with that blasted collar on. i would take it off but the moment I do he's right at his tail eating his fur.

I can't wait for Monday to get here so we can figure out wth is going on with him. As of right now I am not real happy having a dog ram into me every few minutes with his conehead.

An Ice cube is a cure all, who knew?

Last weekend our fam was out of town so we put the pooch in a kennel. He's been there before so no biggie.

We picked him up on Monday. He seemed super tired. He's 11 months old and is very active so it was odd to us. We just thought he was tired from the weekend like we were. The next day he slept, wouldn't eat or drink really anything, didn't play with K, didn't devour the rawhide I gave him when we got home. He was actually a really good dog! But it was not him.

Wednesday i realized by the middle of the day that he hadn't taken a drink that I knew of. He LOVES ice cubes. I grabbed a few from the freezer thinking ti would at least get some water in him.

Immediately after he ate two cubes he found his rawhide and started gnawing on it. Chased after K and became really annoying....yeah, he was back to himself.

Guess in this house an ice cube a day can keep the doctor away.

New Moon Sneek Peak from Comic Con

Don't watch unless you have read New Moon. You have been warned.

For those who have read, this is FREAKING awesome! I have already seen photos of the first scene. The second is AWESOME! They did an awesome job taking interpretation of the book.

November, come quick!

Rick Astley, New Lead Singer for Nirvana

Ok, I am not Rick Rolling - just wanted to make that clear

This video is freaking hilarious! It's Nirvana's song "Smells like Teen Spirit" while Rick Astley sings, "Never Gonna Give You Up." Make ya think that Kurt might have teamed up with Rick at some point ;)

Video of K's "Uncle Bono"

Prude

Today I watched a movie I hadn't watched since I was in college. Why? Because I always thought I hated it. Then I remembered, that I was offended by a playful scene that involved nudity. It was not sexual at all! Although apparently my prudish mind thought it was just horrid. I think I remember refusing to actually watch the rest of the film!

After watching it today, I actually enjoyed the movie. I enjoyed seeing some actors I like in their younger years. And the storyline was a good one. Of course, the only thing I remembered about it before was that it was a horrid film. I couldn't remember what the movie was actually about!

Just another point to show that as I have aged I have matured and broadened my mind. Oddly enough, some friends of mine from way back and even family members expect me to the prude and end up in shock of facts like, I have tattoos and will use the occasional cuss word (gasp, at least that is what I would do in the past).

I guess just like wine gets better with age, so do some people. Some might spoil and become tart but others become rich with the flavor as it ferments and evolves from everything around it. There is much to be said from seeing things from the other side of the street.

You know you have exposed your child to....

images of Bono and U2 too much when he sees a commercial and says "Bono" before I could even tell him anything.

I am so proud of my 5 year old ;)

My Summer Guilty Pleasure

Big Brother 11!

The first show premiered last night. I have yet to peg someone that I think might win. I am interested in the tattooed woman, Lydia, she seems interesting to me. And of course the guy from Chicago is HAWT!

Not so sure how the teams will play out, as of right now i'm siding with the Nerds and Outcasts. Probably because I fit in those two categories.

The one person I am not real keen on is Ronnie the video gamer. Yeah, apparently he doesn't have a job? As my Sweetie is a video game designer, I am afraid it's going to make him look like a complete and utter nerd. In truth is a is a geek (I'm one too so it's ok for me to say that ;) He does actually work. He works hard and no he doesn't play games all day long. I guess we will have to see what happens as the season goes on.

Another obsession to add to the list...

Kenneth Branagh as Iago in Othello

Today I was playing a trivia game and there was a question that had Kenneth Branagh in it. Since I have been watching a lot of movies lately, I realized that there were probably quite a few of his movies that I haven't seen. I now have them waiting for me on my library request list ;)

One of the first movies I ever saw him in was Much Ado About Nothing. Since then I have seen quite a few of his other movies. I especially like his Shakespearean pieces. He recites his lines with such ease, as if he lived in Shakespeare's time. He's a brilliant actor who can morph into whatever his role demands.

Oh yeah, and it doesn't hurt that he's Irish and has auburn hair ;)

This auburn haired Irishman (well Northern Ireland)

Buh-Bye 17 Pounds

I saw my doctor yesterday for a follow up visit and he commented saying he thought I lost weight (nice comment to hear :)

Sweetie has been telling me he thought I was losing weight. I honestly don't weigh myself so I didn't know for sure.

Well, the doctor looked back at my records and calculated that I lost 17lbs in the last 6 months! And my actual current weight, I haven't been at since I was pregnant with K (sad, but true). It sure does feel good though!

Supermassive Black Hole

Great song by Muse that's on the Twilight soundtrack (if you watched Twilight, it's the song they play during Vampire Baseball).

The song came on and my 5 year old says from the car seat, "I really like that song." I look at him through the kiddie mirror that sits below my rear view mirror and see him bobbing his head.

Wonder when people will think if he starts singing Supermassive Black Hole - if he did say it, I'm not sure anyone would understand him lol! That's quite a mouth full for my 5 year old lol

Happy Birthday, America!

Fittingly, Sweetie and I finished watching the John Adams HBO mini series this week. If you haven't seen it you really should. It opened my eyes to the sacrifices that were made so we could be free and remain free. Before the movie, I only knew of John Adams as being the 2nd President. He really was so much more and sacrificed a lot to conquer the goal of America having independence from Britain.

On this July 4th, I think about the men who left their families for years to guarantee that America's independence would last more than just a few years. I think about the men and women who are deployed and face danger every day. I think of those who are stationed around the world, miles away from family or have uprooted their family to live in a foreign country. I think of those who have been injured in anyway from the wars that have been fought over our country's sort life. And I think of all of the men and women who have given their lives so we could all could live free today.

New Moon Trailer

I have already watched this a few months ago, it was time for me to revisit the New Moon trailer. Check it out :)

Wizard's First Rule

Richard and Kahlin from Legend of the Seeker

Right now I am listening to the audiobook of Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind. If you have watched the TV Show Legend of the Seeker - the show is based on this series of books. WFR is the first in the series.

My Sweetie has read all the books, which is why we started watching the show, and has been bugging me to try them. I finally relented and got an audio copy from the library. It was hard to pay attention at first, Goodkind goes into a TON of descriptives which I find slightly boring. In fact, i almost gave up on it after getting to Chapter 7. Sweetie told me I hadn't even reached the good stuff yet!

The show does not have any of the same main story themes as the book does so it's like seeing the characters do extra things. The show just adds to the books.

Since deciding to continue listening, I am finding I want to hear/read more and more of the book. The dynamic relationship between Richard and Kaylin is MUCH more developed in the story - and even though I know more than I should about certain things I am finding myself wondering what the outcome will be!

So, my Twilight Saga Audiobooks are still sealed and sitting on my bookshelf. I promised my Sweetie i would tackle this first before he added those to iTunes. I think he's sort of holding them captive actually lol

So Edward and Bella will have to wait for me to travel to Forks in my mind again.

Oh yeah, and another perk to the show ;)

A Moment of Cheese

When summer arrives, so do reruns. I have turned to watching movies lately. When I watch movies alone I watch what would be termed a "chick flick." I'm a sucker for a good Romantic Comedy or Romantic Drama. Today I watched the later. It left me feeling very lucky to be married to my best friend. I'm so very grateful for the life we have built together. I love you sweetie!

Cheese over....

We're Talkin' Bout Practice

This is a really cool rap using different sports press conferences. Take a look, be sure to have your volume on. Follow press this to view.

RIP Farrah - Goodbye Michael Jackson

This morning Farrah Fawcett lost her battle with anal cancer. She documented quite a bit of her journey. I watched a two hour long special a few months ago. She was very vulnerable and open with her struggles, her pain, and even allowed the cameras in when her doctor told her that he cancer returned.

Now she is pain free and hopefully at peace.


Michael Jackson. MJ. The King of Pop. I actually thought that hearing he died was just a fake report, especially since drama always seemed to follow him. Regardless of his personal life, he really did give a lot to music.

I will never forget listening to Thriller album over and over again on our record player. I also remember MTV showing his video - one of the first that had a plot to it I believe. i think Thriller has to be one of the best songs of all time and definitely one of the best videos of all time.

Thank you for your imagination and your gift to the music world that still has an impact on so many artists. May you find peace where ever you are now

Pixar Steps "Up" and Grants a Girl's Dying Wish

This story is sad but also uplifting.

A round of applause for Pixar and many, may prayers to Colby's family.

By ANNIE BURRIS

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

HUNTINGTON BEACH – Colby Curtin, a 10-year-old with a rare form of cancer, was staying alive for one thing – a movie.

From the minute Colby saw the previews to the Disney-Pixar movie Up, she was desperate to see it. Colby had been diagnosed with vascular cancer about three years ago, said her mother, Lisa Curtin, and at the beginning of this month it became apparent that she would die soon and was too ill to be moved to a theater to see the film.

After a family friend made frantic calls to Pixar to help grant Colby her dying wish, Pixar came to the rescue.

The company flew an employee with a DVD of Up, which is only in theaters, to the Curtins’ Huntington Beach home on June 10 for a private viewing of the movie.

The animated movie begins with scenes showing the evolution of a relationship between a husband and wife. After losing his wife in old age, the now grumpy man deals with his loss by attaching thousands of balloons to his house, flying into the sky, and going on an adventure with a little boy.

Colby died about seven hours after seeing the film.

With her daughter’s vigil planned for Friday, Lisa Curtin reflected about how grateful she is that Pixar – and "Up" – were a part of her only child’s last day.

“When I watched it, I had really no idea about the content of the theme of the movie,” said Curtin, 46. “I just know that word ‘Up’ and all of the balloons and I swear to you, for me it meant that (Colby) was going to go up. Up to heaven.”

Pixar officials declined to comment on the story or name the employees involved.

THE PREVIEWS

Colby was diagnosed with vascular cancer on Dec. 23, 2005 after doctors found a tumor in her liver. At the time of her death, her stomach was about 94 inches around, swollen with fluids the cancer wouldn’t let her body properly digest. The rest of her body probably weighed about 45 pounds, family friend Carole Lynch said.

Colby had gone to Newport Elementary School and was known for making others laugh, family friend Terrell Orum-Moore said. Colby loved to dance, sing, swim and seemed to have a more mature understanding of the world than other children her age, Orum-Moore said.

On April 28, Colby went to see the Dream Works 3-D movie "Monsters Vs. Aliens" but was impressed by the previews to "Up."

“It was from then on, she said, ‘I have to see that movie. It is so cool,’” Lynch said.

Colby was a movie fan, Lisa Curtin said, and she latched onto Pixar’s movies because she loved animals.

Two days later Colby’s health began to worsen. On June 4 her mother asked a hospice company to bring a wheelchair for Colby so she could visit a theater to see "Up." However, the weekend went by and the wheelchair was not delivered, Lisa Curtin said.

By June 9, Colby could no longer be transported to a theater and her family feared she would die without having seen the movie.

At that point, Orum-Moore, who desperately wanted Colby to get her last wish, began to cold-call Pixar and Disney to see if someone could help.

Pixar has an automated telephone answering system, Orum-Moore said, and unless she had a name of a specific person she wanted to speak to, she could not get through. Orum-Moore guessed a name and the computer system transferred her to someone who could help, she said.

Pixar officials listened to Colby’s story and agreed to send someone to Colby’s house the next day with a DVD of "Up," Orum-Moore recalled.

She immediately called Lisa Curtin, who told Colby.

“Do you think you can hang on?” Colby’s mother said.

“I’m ready (to die), but I’m going to wait for the movie,” the girl replied.

THE MOVIE

At about 12:30 p.m. the Pixar employee came to the Curtins’ home with the DVD.

He had a bag of stuffed animals of characters in the movie and a movie poster. He shared some quirky background details of the movie and the group settled in to watch Up.

Colby couldn't see the screen because the pain kept her eyes closed so her mother gave her a play-by-play of the film.

At the end of the film, the mother asked if her daughter enjoyed the movie and Colby nodded yes, Lisa Curtin said.

The employee left after the movie, taking the DVD with him, Lynch said.

“He couldn’t have been nicer,” said Lynch who watched the movie with the family. “His eyes were just welled up.”

After the movie, Colby’s dad, Michael Curtin, who is divorced from Lisa Curtin, came to visit.

Colby died with her mom and dad nearby at 9:20 p.m.

Among the Up memorabilia the employee gave Colby was an “adventure book” – a scrap book the main character’s wife used to chronicle her journeys.

“I’ll have to fill those adventures in for her,” Lisa Curtin said.

Passion

Following your passion can be difficult, especially when you are unsure of what you're passionate about. I had that dilemma not too long ago. After watching an Oprah episode, a long time ago, she talked about finding your passion and going after it. I had to actually think about what my passion was. I thought that staying at home with K was my passion. Sure, it's one thing about my life that absolutely love (most days lol). After all my Sweetie clocks into a job 5 days a week that is his passion, why can't my "job" be that too?

Today I realized that writing is one of my passions. When I was younger I wrote fictional stories. In fact i remember one clearly that I wrote in 6th grade. I happened upon it years and years ago and when I read it I was surprised at how good the plot was and how well I developed the story at 12 years old! Being someone with a degree in journalism, I always thought I was meant to write "nothing but the facts" or maybe an editorial. Right before graduation, I realized that was not my passion at all, it was not something I wanted to pursue in the least (not to mention the pay is well...crappy). I could take crappy pay for a job I loved, but not for one I had no desire to put myself into.

After reading the Twilight Series, I somehow came up with an idea for a story. (no it does not involve vampires or supernatural creatures HA!) I started to write one afternoon and i couldn't stop! In fact, I haven't be able to stop since I started.

This summer has been a busy one for all of us. But I often find myself making notes on my iPhone notepad listing new ideas that pop into my head while doing housework, out shopping, or watching K's swim lessons. And when I do have spare time, I am usually writing, editing or re-reading.

So, if i seem aloof, I'm probably with the characters in my head ;)

Easy Tiramisu Recipe

I posted that I was eating homemade tiramisu on my FB/Twitter. Since several people were interested in how i made it. I thought I would post it.

First I gotta give a shout out to Keran who passed the recipe on to me, which I now give to you ;)

1 pkg (10.75 ozs) frozen pound cake, thawed and cut into 9 slices
3/4 strong brewed coffee (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup chocolate flavored syrup
1 pkg (8 ozs) mascarpone cheese or cream cheese, softened
2 cups whipping (heavy) cream
2 bars (1.4 ozs each) chocolate covered toffee candy, chopped

Arrange cake slices in bottom of rectangular baking dish, 11x7x1 1/2inches, cutting cake slices if necessary to cover bottom of dish. Drizzle coffee over cake.

Beat sugar, chocolate syrup, and mascarpone cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add whipping cream. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Spread over cake. Sprinkle with candy.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but no longer than 24 hours to set dessert and blend flavors.

Yield: 12 servings

The dessert will keep for longer than 24 hours. My family of three cannot eat a whole pan in a day, but we can get it polished off in a week for sure ;) It actually tastes better when the coffee can really sink into the cake :)

Eclipse Movie and Twilight Sound Track

Out of curiosity I googled to see if Eclipse from the Twilight Series would be made into a movie. The word I found on a fan site is that it is - view that info here. I have no idea if it's completely true or not, but I sure hope it is! nothing like seeing Edward and Bella jumping from the pages to the big screen.

Oh yeah, and I am using one of the tickers off the website with that news - i gotta be able to countdown to both of them!

Now, the Twilight Soundtrack....um.....you gotta buy it! I ordered a hard copy from Amazon and got it in the mail yesterday. I like EVERY song on it! That is super rare for any soundtrack. And my sweetie digs it as well (although, he was really wanting to hear Mute Math more than anything.) If you click the link above, you will be able to listen to some of the songs. Totally worth it.

Mean I tell ya, just mean!

My sweetie sent me link via IM today. so I click it like any good wife would. This is what I see:

6 Nights in Ireland w/ Airfare w/ Hotel w/ Car for $700

Mean, I tell ya, mean, mean, mean!

When he got home from work I asked, "Why did you send me that link? To say nah-nah-nah-boo-boo guess what you can't do?"

His response was a smile and a laugh. Very funny :P~~~~~~~~

Hmmm....maybe I should book a solo ticket.... ;)

YUM-O: Grilled Steak with Sweet Lime Salad

Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine had this recipe in one of its issues. I have made it twice now and it's a big hit for me and my sweetie.

Click here for the recipe. Make sure you check out my review, I made a few tweeks that i liked better.

One thing I forgot to say is that I forgo the mint. It's expensive and really not necessary. I made it with the first time and without this time - still tasted great!

Do I really need to see Kristen Stewart pumping gas? Um....NO!

Celebrity stalking is one of my pet peeves in life. Although, I cannot say that a trash magazine or two hasn't caught my attention. Mostly the headlines just make me laugh out loud while I am standing in line at the check out.

For instance, I was looking up Kristen Stewart, Bella in Twilight. I was interested in what else she starred in, how old she was etc. I was shocked at how different she looks in real life since she was wearing contacts to make her eyes brown like Bella's (Kristen's are green). Anyway, I ran into a series of pictures of Kristen. She was pumping gas. Yep, so interesting eh? I just did it yesterday, what's the big deal.

As a huge fan of Bono, and member of fansites just for him (yeah, I know I need help) I have seen photos that almost angered me. Some photos were of him walking with his family - by the looks on everyone's face in the photo, they were not wanting their picture taken. I don't want to see that kind of stuff! I like Bono but I really don't want to see him unhappy. The other photo I remember seeing that angered me was of Bono jogging outside his house. Someone commented on how white his legs were. HELLO! He's Irish, you think those legs see sunlight very often? lol!

If i want to see a picture of a celeb, I want to see them when they expect it like at an event where there is a red carpet or posing for a magazine. I don't care if Bono pumps gas or if someone ate cake at lunch - I do that too. We all put our pants on one leg at a time. Just some of us have names that are very widely known - it doesn't mean they know you.

**steps off her soapbox**

Follow Peter Facinelli - Dr. Carlisle Cullen

Peter portrayed Carlisle in the Twilight movie (and in New Moon) and did a damn good job. In fact when I read the book my minds eye immediately pictures Peter's face. I digress....

Here's the whole reason for my blabbering - Peter has a bet going with Rob Defranco for the back of his Twilight chair. He need 500,000 followers before Friday.

So jump on the bandwagon and save the back of the chair for a fan (that's what he's going to do if he wins) - of course us Twilight crazies will appreciate it much more than Rob what's-his-name hehehe ;)

Peter poted a video on YouTube - so yep it really is him. And if you want to join the cause click here.

So hop to it! If you are still reading this you haven't clicked! Chop-Chop!

Bono, The Edge and Spider-man

No, this is not an Photoshoped image, this is the real deal!

If any of you know me and my sweetie, you know that I am freakish about U2 (especially Bono) and my sweetie loves Spider-man. When I first heard that Bono and The Edge were working on this project I pretty much did a double take. This poster represents the two things me and my sweetie pretty much worship.

Oh yeah, and had to throw in this photo of the creators. Notice the hotness coming from the right end of the photo.

Midnight Sun

Stephenie Meyer started to write Twilight from Edward's perspective. I heard this from several people and finally got a title from a good friend of mine. I quickly went to google and found it - to my dismay :(

Meyer apparently had some dumbass get a hold of her manuscript and it was released on the internet at different stages. She has put the writing of this on hold indefinitely (waaaaaah!!!!!)

She does have what she has so far on her website. I DLed and read it from there - unfortunately it only doesn't go beyond the point of Bella seeing Edward in her room for the first time and he tells her he's been coming there for months....of course we miss his perspective of the first kiss, which I thought would be super cool to read.

I am hoping that Meyer will some how recover from this violation. Nice that someone wants to make some $$$$ at the expense of MANY others who would love to read anything "new" in the land of Twilight.

Hello, my name is Sarah and I am a Twilight Addict.

Yes, I admit it. I have been sucked into the land of Twilight and cannot (well, and do not) want to get out. Please do not have an intervention for me - it will be hopeless.

The addiction began when my sweetie and I watched Twilight on BluRay (O....M....G....!). Two days later i was searching our public library for an audio version of the book so I could listen to it on a 6 hour trek to visit family. I got half way through and was thankful I brought my written copy of Twilight with me. I quickly devoured it and ended up stalking Walmart late at night to find the next book in the sagas.

This last week I started to feel like a vampire. Walking around with little sleep. I couldn't leave Edward and Bella not know what would happen next!

And my poor, poor sweetie. He is starting to wonder if I need to be committed for becoming so obsessed with this series. He is starting to understand as I tell him of other 30 something women have the same obsession - I am not alone (thank GOD!)

Five for Finn - PLEASE READ

Please read this note from my friend Kerry. She is a member of a parenting board I am apart of - I have known her since we were both pregnant with our little guys. Finnegan has held a special place in my heart - especially since both Finn and Kian are Irish lads. Finnegan left us way too soon, but Kerry and her husband have a way to honor his memory and give back to those families battling against the evil of Cystic Fibrosis.

♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣

Hey everyone--

As some of you may know, Finn's fifth birthday would have been June 3rd of this year. As the date approaches, I find myself feeling more sad and missing my little guy more and more (as if that's possible, as I miss him every moment of every day). I could sit and cry--and believe me, I have--but what I really want to do is to celebrate the amazingness that was Finn and help other families too.

We are still in the process of getting tax-exempt status for "Finnz Fundz"--a foundation established in Finn's name to help other families of children with Cystic Fibrosis who are facing extended (longer than one month) hospital stays for treatment. In addition to our goal of achieving tax exempt status, we hope to eventually be able to help families of children with other illnesses as our funds grow and our ability to help increases.

As a way to honor Finn's fifth birthday, I have a special request for everyone who reads/receives this note--PLEASE donate a fin ($5) in honor of our Finn. If even 200 people donate $5 each, we will have $1,000 to distribute to families in need. Amazing!

Donations can be sent via paypal.com to:
finnzfundz@gmail.com

In addition to this special birthday fundraising drive, we are also looking to obtain "in-kind" donations to pass on to families--like gift cards from national retailers (dunkies, starbucks, target, walmart, etc). If any of you out there work for such companies or have connections, please let us know. We received many such cards and they were such a blessing!

Our email for the fund is: finnzfundz@gmail.com

A website will be soon to follow--a special thanks to Susanne and hubby for offering to design/host the website--I will be in touch soon!

Thanks to all for the amazing support you've given our family during our journey. It's been a long road, but I wouldn't have changed it--Finn was an amazing, special little person who truly brought joy to our lives.

Many thanks,
Kerry and Patrick

p.s. Please forward this to everyone on your friends list! Let's use the power of facebook/the internet for good!!!

Finnegan - a lil' clover that left us way too soon.

Use the Force

Is it really sad that I want this toy for myself and not really for my 5 year old (although I would let him use it from time to time lol!

Rachel Ray's Thai Lettuce Cups - YUM-O!

I tried this recipe tonight and it was SUPER good! I didn't do the lettuce cups. I roughly chopped romaine lettuce and put the chicken mixture on top of it. Click here is a link to the recipe in case you want to see photos or print it off for yourself. (oh, and of course we omitted the peanuts lol still tasted amazing!)

Thai Lettuce Cups

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
* 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
* 1 red bell pepper, cut into to strips
* 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
* 1/4 cup honey
* 2 iceberg lettuce heads, cut in quarters and leaves gently removed for cups
* 1/2 cup honey-roasted peanuts, chopped
* Juice of 1 lime
* 1 handful basil, chopped

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Season the chicken with salt and ground black pepper, and cook in the pan until golden brown on all sides.

Add in the red pepper, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add in the chili sauce and honey, and reduce to coat the chicken.

To serve, lay the lettuce leaves out onto a platter then scoop some of the chicken mixture onto each leaf. Sprinkle with the chopped peanuts, lime juice and basil.

Magnificent

Magnificent is a song of of U2's new CD, No Line on the Horizon. It is definitely one of my favorites on the CD so far. The more I listen to it, the more I understand what it's about.

My analysis is that Magnificent refers to God. The song is about how we are God's creation and born to glorify Him.

Dictionary.com defines Magnificent as " noble; sublime" " (usually initial capital letter) (formerly used as a title of some rulers) great; grand: Lorenzo the Magnificent." After reading the actual definition of Magnificent the meaning of the song really clicked with me.

Of course, this is only my insight. But the song now has a lot of meaning to me. In fact, I am thinking the word Magnificent might be my next tattoo.

Here are the lyrics of the song:

Magnificent
Magnificent



I was born
I was born to be with you

In this space and time

After that and ever after I haven't had a clue

Only to break rhyme
This foolishness can leave a heart black and blue



Only love, only love can leave such a mark

But only love, only love can heal such a scar


I was born
I was born to sing for you

I didn't have a choice but to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice
From the womb my first cry, it was a joyful noise ...

Only love, only love can leave such a mark

But only love, only love can heal such a scar


Justified till we die, you and I will magnify

The Magnificent

Magnificent


Only love, only love can leave such a mark

But only love, only love unites our hearts



Justified till we die, you and I will magnify
The Magnificent

Magnificent

Magnificent


Itchy Chef

I have often wondered if my son (who has a severe food allergy) would be able to become a chef if he so desired. Right now I am watching a challenge show on the Food Network where a chef was allergic to two ingredients that were given to him to work with. He went far in the competition and is actually a chef for the Waldorf Astoria! There is hope for my little man if he wants to enter the culinary world.

Respect

Today I dropped my son off at preschool. I just happened to look at the car next to us and noticed a Hindu symbol hanging from the mirror. I immediately thought of the image I posted above. It is from U2's last concert tour. As you can see the word "Coexist" is spelled out with the Muslim, Jewish and Christian symbols. I have heard several Christians say that this display has shown that U2 is not believers and that all religions are one. I know that Bono is a follower of Christ (discusssion for another day). The word coexist means: " to exist separately or independently but peaceably" (from dictionary.com). I think that the symbols added to the word just make an even louder statment.

It made me think about how we really need to respect other people's beliefs, no matter what they are. Sure, as a Christian you can present them with the story of Jesus and salvation. But being forceful is the fast track to nowhere. I have seen so many times Christians trying to "argue" about their beliefs with someone who believes differently. I wonder how a Christian would feel if someone of a different faith was forcing their beliefs on them. When the shoe is on the other foot it can really make you view things differently.

We are all human. We were all created by God. We were given a mind to think and the ability to decide what we believe. We must have respect for each other.

Quote from Bono

"It's easy for us to find a sound that we can dance to, it's harder to find something that moves us."

Losing the Stiffness

Recently I have started thinking about religion. Honestly, religion is a word that I dislike. It doesn't mean anything personal to me - it just means that you believe what is most likely rules that man created.

I do believe that faith should be personal. It should be something that you believe with your whole heart, yet probably not be able to completely grasp.

For years I followed "rules" and tried to be someone that as of now I look back and wonder what the hell was I thinking! My view of things was that I was better than others because of what I believed and the way I was living my life. Little did I know that I was sheltering myself as well as pushing away those who might have been interested in learning more about Jesus from a non-judgmental and open to the fact that they might not believe the same as me.

What I find so funny is that it is always thought that when you get older that you get more set in your ways. For me I have found that I have let go of those ways and can see what it all looked like from the outside. It was all just silly to follow all the "rules" that churches, organizations or so called leaders told me I had to do in order to really live the Christian life. Most of that junk can not be found anywhere in the Bible...ok, maybe with some personal interpretation from those presenting this "way of life."

I still have my core beliefs. But I no longer think that I am above anyone in any way at all. We are all on the same playing field. We were all shown a "gift" that we can chose to accept or not. Forcing that gift on someone does not make them really want it...it will probably send them running in the other direction.

I'm baaaack!

After a year of pretty much ignoring this blog, I have decided to give it some new life. A new name, a new look, and new randomness (that probably pertains a lot to the band U2).

So there is it!

(new look to follow soon, stay tuned!)

Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO)

WOW!!! (And no, I don’t mean like World of Warcraft because this game doesn’t fan a flame to it!)

Jamie and I were able to get into the stress test this weekend. A select number of people were allowed in to push the servers and make sure everything is working ok. We played a little bit last night after Kian was in bed (and during the little bit of time that Jamie felt ok to be out of bed).

Jamie and I have played different MMORGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games) since we have been dating. I have to say that LOTRO has been the easiest to navigate, has a GREAT tutorial and is BEAUTIFUL!

Today is the last day of the stress test. After that we have to wait for almost a month before we can get in and play for real! I cannot wait!

Trust

Trust is something you earn. At least in my life that’s the way it goes. If that trust is broken you will have to go WAY out of your way to prove to me that you are trustworthy once again.

Does that mean I will be nice to you? Sure. Does that mean I will allow anything to go beyond what is on the surface? No. Does that mean I will hold you at arms length? You bet ya. Does that mean I will forget what you did? No way! I will always remember what you did and keep in the back of my mind as a reminder to myself in case I see signs of it happening again.

Harsh, yes I know, but I have been burned too many times. The main person was one I was born to and was supposed to be able to trust completely and be loved unconditionally by. That person can be sent a thank you note for creating me the way that I am in this respect. Often surrounding my emotional connection with others in steel bars and locks. And for those who have wronged me that means I pretty much throw away the key. That’s really the only way I can protect myself from it happening over and over again - I allowed it over and over again by the above mentioned “nobody” and I refuse to allow strangers or acquaintances to do the same.

Yes, I know this came out of no where – it’s just me thinking outloud so please don’t read into it

Moms don’t get sick days

How do I know? Well, because I’m living it right now. If I had a job that I clocked into every day, I would have called in the last two days. No, I’m not on my deathbed but I sure feel terrible. It’s hard for me to focus because my head is so clouded. I’m forgetting things and really the only thing I have on my mind is climbing into bed after putting Kian in his and its only 4PM…four more hours to go.

One (without kids) might wonder what I am talking about. Maybe wondering what is so hard about caring for a child when you are sick? Well, my two year old has more energy in his little toe than I do in my whole body right now. My ears feel like they are going to explode anytime I bend over which makes playing more difficult. I’m not able to rest, relax nothing unless he is because I need to keep my eye on him to make sure he’s not doing something wrong or that he’s ok in general. He also needs to have a clean diaper, be fed, needs to be played with, needs hugs and kisses…ok some of those are easier than others but really when you should be concentrating on healing yourself you have to be mindful of another human being who needs you in order to survive.

I am only hoping that today is the worst of it and I will start getting better from here on out….and also having the hope that this virus somehow skips the rest of my family.

My Current Favorite Author

So, a few months ago I watched a movie based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks. The movies was The Notebook and it was one of those movies where I wanted to watch it one more time before I sent it back to Netflix. I passed though because it took me two days to attempt to finish this movie since I watched it during Kian's naps and when Jamie wasn't home.

Then, right after my birthday, we headed on our monthly Costco run and there were 4 books written by Nicholas Sparks. They were all less than $8 each! I decided to scoop them up with some my birthday money. I have been slowly reading through them. I am trying to savor the words but I want to DEVOUR them. Sparks is a writer whose words grab you by the shoulders firmly and your mind demands that you keep reading!

I finished A Walk to Remember (have a Kleenex box for this one!) and watched the movie. Although the movie is loosely based on the novel I still felt it was really good - not to mention, Shane West is definitely not a hard actor to watch!

I just finished reading The Notebook. Very good book...slightly different from the movie in quite a few scenes (but then again what movie isn't!) but the book had me hanging on every last word again. Even though I knew the outcome of the story I was still captivated on how it would all come about.

So anyway, if you are looking for a good read pick up Sparks.

My Neglected Blog

I know no one probably reads this thing anyway, but I know I have really been neglecting it. I found MySpace this fall and started posting on my blog there. Well, for some reason I was reminded of this blog and decided to breath some new life into it. A reminder though. This Blog is for me to plant some of my more random thoughts and insights so buckle your seat belts ;)