Many movies that we view were inspired by books, and I am sure for an author, having a book become a movie is one of the greatest compliments you can receive.  I think of such titles as “The Chronicles of Narnia” series, “The Lord of the Rings” series (oh that the writers of those series could be alive to see what has become of their titles!), “The DiVinci Code”, “Twilight”, the list is endless.  Writers are involved in the process whether the movie is taken from a book or not, so movies very much fit in with the theme of this blog.

Memorial Day weekend is upon us, and one of my traditional things I do is to view a movie that is in some way related to our military and veterans and their service to our country.  It may be a documentary, or a movie such as “Saving Private Ryan”, or some of the old classic World War II films.  Anything to remind myself of the sacrifice that was made for our wonderful country, the United States of America.

On a lighter side, it is also the start of the summer season.  If the weather is good, time is spent outside, if not so good and when the sun goes down, people may spend time going to theaters to take in the latest movie.  We haven’t seen the new “Star Trek” movie yet, and hear it’s great, but are still trying to decide whether to see it on the big screen, or wait to rent the movie.  Usually we wait, unless the movie is enhanced by seeing it on the big screen for the first time, and if it is great, we always rent it to see again later.

BLOCKBUSTER offers the ability to rent from home, and while there are other services that do the same, I’m definitely going to sign up for the free trial Blockbuster is offering….it’s so inexpensive to rent movies through them, and have them delivered to your mailbox, that I’m sure we’ll go beyond the free trial. The fact that they also allow you to return your movies to a local Blockbuster store which saves some time in waiting for the delivery of your next movie is also unique to similar services.

Actually, soon after I finish this post, I’m headed over to this BLOCKBUSTER link to sign up…we have a lot of movies to catch up on!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend…don’t forget to pray for and remember our men in the military, and thank God for those who have sacrificed so much to keep us safe.

As I sit here in my living room with my laptop writing emails, browsing the web, blogging, or reading a book, I enjoy having one of our classical local radio stations playing in the background. I love almost all types of music, but classical music is peaceful, and not distracting. If I’m busy working around the house, or making dinner, then I go for something a lot more lively, like classic rock (being the baby boomer that I am), or contemporary Christian music.

I am familiar with, but do not have, satellite radio, but have just learned that you can get clear, high quality sound from a DIGITAL version of AM and FM Radio. You can enjoy this type of quality by upgrading to a Jensen JiMS 525i, which also has a docking station for your iPod.

But there is something about this radio that is REALLY unique….lets say a song comes on that you love, and your to busy to take time to write the song down, with a push of a button through song tagging, you can save the song title and information to refer back to should you want to find the music to purchase at a later date. I know my husband would like something like that, he’s always saying “why don’t they tell me who sang that”, or “if only I could write that down right now” when it could be as easy as pushing a button to store the information. So now that I’m discovering this after Christmas, I’m going to put it down on my calendar as something to remember to look into for his birthday.

I learned about a fun site tonight, the name sounds almost like a sneeze - “Kerchoonz“, which put a on my face, and when I stopped by for a visit, I found out the site is a lot of fun!  I joined for free tonight, very easy to do, and got so caught up in browsing around listening to music, looking at people’s profiles, looking through lists of videos, and more, that I almost forgot to come on over here and tell you about the site.

It’s a social networking site for musicians, and those who like to listen to music, or if you MAKE music, this is a place to share your talent. You join, set up your profile page, then can upload your music…the music is free, with streaming audio, and downloads available. Oh, and I forgot to mention there are games as well! Artists and labels are paid through advertising revenue. Artists as well as fans can can make a little money by referring bands and other artists to the site…a real win-win situation!

It’s the desire of Kerchoonz to provide a alternative to those who pirate music for free. They are negotiating with major music companies, and want everyone to join in the fun.

Below is a video explanation for you (btw, being of Scottish ancestry, loved the accent!), and be sure to stop over and sign up as a listener, to enjoy the game platforms, or someone who has something to offer…it’s free, easy, and I think you’ll like it!

In one of the discussion groups that I belong to the question was posed, “What book are you reading right now”, and though I do love books, and have a couple in process, I can honestly say that since the internet came into our home, I don’t devour books like I used to. There is so much that can be read online, including news of all kinds, eBooks and more, and I am being challenged to find a balance between internet/computer time and book time…because I have some books just waiting for me to dig into.

In the midst of this challenge, along comes another delightful distraction, Clearwire.  I was encouraged to stop by for a visit, and got distracted by the many features at the site…everything from the latest National and International news, and the Latest Celebrity News to current Live Sports News. I noticed in the upper right of the site that there was a radio that plays some of the latest music, and put that on, to catch up on what people that are younger than I are listening too. Okay, so maybe I’m not a big one for reading the latest celebrity gossip, and my husband may be more interested in the Sports news, but there was more. There was a photo section, video section, and games you could play at the site. So basically, you can read your news while you’re listening to music, then when you need a break from reading, play some games or look at some pictures or videos all at one site.

The site is attractive and a lot of fun, I’ll be back, but I really do have to balance my fun time on the web with my fun, and learning, time in a good book…the kind that you hold in your hand and page through

I’m an “oldie but goodie” enough to remember Cher when she was married to Sonny, and they were just starting out in the entertainment industry. I distinctly remember lying on the beach at the Jersey Shore with friends, and our transistor radio blaring “I Got You Babe”. There were no iPods back then, or CD players, or music downloads…we were still listening to vinyl records and an occasional tape….and not the little cassettes, the big 8-tracks. The melody and words are playing in my thoughts as I type as clear as can be!

Of course that was way back then, and this is very much now. Cher has come a LONG way and continues to be on the go! She has written or co-authored several books, including “The First Time”, “Cooking for Cher”; and books have been written about her, including “Cher: If You Believe”, and “The Cher Scrapbook”.

She is as beautiful and talented as ever, and presently performing in Las Vegas. In May of this year she replaced Celine Dion at the Caesars Palace for what will surely be a real “Cher Las Vegas” experience. For the Cher fan, it’s great to know that she is still on the move, and I’m sure we’ll be hearing from her for a long time to come.

Am I the only one that remembers Cher in the early days?