0034: Great Googly Moogly

I *hate* Katrina. We lost power about five minutes after I cut out the light to go to bed, and it didn't come back -- reliably -- until about an hour ago. Even then, I only just now felt safe enough to cut the A/C back on. I was stunned to see that www.weather.com has west Tennessee under (and I am not making this up) an "inland tropical storm warning". I'm going to be mildly curious to see what things are like when I head in to work.

If you're in the path, be careful. It's crazygonuts out there. If you're not, count your blessings, and pray for those who are.

Now, to grab what sleep I can before my 6am shift at work.

P.S. I doubt I'm ever gonna look at the song "Walking on Sunshine" the same way again. Great 80s song, but this hurricane has definitely altered my perceptions. :)

0035: Repeat Meme Sheepage

I did this once, but I was tagged by sc0ttyb, and well, I'm a sucker for Memes. At least this one doesn't have a stupid pic link that'll go 404 in two months.

Name six songs that you are currently digging. It doesn't matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying right now. Post these instructions. Then list the six artists and the songs in your LiveJournal. Last but not least, tag six other people to see what they're listening to.

1. Lord of the Rings (Ballad Version), by Blind Guardian. This was the first Blind Guardian song I ever heard, and half-figured that the band was a 70s-era one, until I learned the truth. (They're German power metal that like to write songs about fantasy themes, including King Arthur, Dragonlance, and Tolkien (entire concept album, no less).

2. Ghost Love Score, by Nightwish. Off their album, "Once," this song is ten minutes long, and one hell of a delicious tune. There is one part, where choir vocals come in, singing, "My fall, will be for you. My love, will be in you. If you, be the one to cut me, I'll bleed forever." Add in the amazing vocals, expert skill of the band, and the sheer epic nature of it, and you have a contender for "Anthony's Favorite Song."

3. Keeper of the Seven Keys, by Helloween. This fourteen minute epic is all about a lone hero, whose job is to take the seven keys (which sound like allusions to the seven sins) and seal the seven seas, thus sealing Satan below. This is one song that I *have* to sing along with, and get annoyed if someone comes around (which means I have to stop singing, because I don't sing for others).

4. Swan Song, by Within Temptation. This song can make me cry every time I hear it. It's painfully beautiful, and is sung from the point of view of someone who's dying. The chorus says it all: "Is it a dream? All the ones I have loved, calling out my name. The sun warms my face. All the days of my life, I see them passing me by." *shiver*

5. Under a Violet Moon, by Blackmore's Night. This is a pseudo-renaissance piece, and it can't help but get my feet tapping, my hands clapping, and me singing merrily along. Factor in that it's Richie Blackmore (of Deep Purple and Rainbow fame), and you know youv'e got some killer axe work, though it's acoustic. :)

6. Contradanza, by Vanessa-Mae. This is an instrumental piece off of her first album, "The Violin Player." The song starts with synthesized wind, and leads into one hell of a violin-only piece. It's like a cross -- emotionally -- between #4 and #5. I cannot describe how it makes me feel, but let me just say that I'm very likely to just sit back, close my eyes, and drift on the melody. Be forewarned, though. It's not technically classical. There are some electric guitars in the background (far in the background), and it has a faster tempo than most classical I know of, but that could be the drums.


Now, to tag six people, without duplicating any that sc0ttyb and I have in common.

dragonpurr
prissi
andric
strieson
lilithraevyn
xxtyrxx

0036: Dust in the Wind

Today, I realized that I'm just not as interested in WoW as I used to be. When I log onto Thunderlord with my main (30 Tauren Druid...which he's been for around a month now), I look around, notice that my quests are in contested territory, and no one is around to help me with the quests. Oh sure, there are guildmates, but for some reason, I can't get over wanting my RL friends around to help.

*shrug* My account is up in a few days, so I just changed it to a one month plan instead of the three month plan. At least for now, I'll give myself one more month to decide. I'm not going to force the issue of playing, but I'm gonna see if I still feel the same after this month, and if so, I'm gonna cancel my subscription. The characters will still be there, but I won't be spending money on it, so I can go back whenever the urge strikes me. (Of course, D&D Online: Stormreach is due out early next year, and I would love to get my hands on some D&D goodness.

Anyway, I'm going to make dinner, and then see if I can begin a story. I have some ideas, specifically related to some gaming sessions from a few years ago, that I might expand and work on. After all, these stories are written because I wanna write, and I feel that I need to, not because I wanna share 'em, or get 'em published.