Galloglass, Dragons, Friendship, Hunter S. Thompson, Love / Like Meme

I've been playing Bookworm on and off this afternoon so far.. might get to reading, even if that DOES make me a "nerdy bookworm" in the eyes of certain people who love messing around with me every time we talk. :P

I also wrote a few Christmas cards to Courtney (bjornskjold), Amy (amy_star_), April (angeldrummer7), Janet (applebastic), and Carmina from Spain (on_the_ground) today. Most of these were as part of holiday_wishes at LJ. :D

I really want something with a dragon on it for Christmas. :D

Something like this Galloglass (symphonic metal like Dragonlord, Nightwish and Shadowlord) wallpaper would be nice!



Candy found it at The Beat Goes On, a used CD store (that place is very dangerous), but hasn't found another copy since. I know she loves her symphonic metal, too. It's an import, since the band's from Germany.

They have another CD that was released that she did NOT know about:

22/09/2005 – GALLOGLASS set release date for Heavenseeker
German powermetallers GALLOGLASS have set the 28th October (via Limb Music Products) as the release date of their new album Heavenseeker, of which you can find more info (cover, guest musicians, ...) at this location. There are also some samples available at the Downloads page.

Heavenseeker tracklisting:

01. Burden of Grief
02. After Forever
03. Perished in Flames
04. Dawn of a new Age
05. Banished from Eternity
06. At the Shadowcross
07. To kneel is to suffer
08. Heavenseeker
09. Signs
10. Beyond the Mirror
11. Kings who die
13. Golden Years (Bonus Track)
14. Fragments (Bonus Track)

Heavenseeker is the band's second album and the follow-up to 2003's Legends From Now And Nevermore. The album will also be released as limited CD / DVD edition, and contains two bonus tracks and an additional DVD with over 100 minutes of video material: a complete live concert, the making of Heavenseeker, and more.

Check out the cover:




The following is stolen from Jeremy and Ruben:

A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.

"People who love each other fully and truly are the happiest people in the world. They may have little, they may have nothing, but they are happy people. Everything depends on how we love one another."

You meet people for a reason...

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school.

His name was Kyle.

It looked like he was carrying all of his books.

I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd."

I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends the next afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up, and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.

My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye.

As I handed him his glasses, I said: "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.

I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now.

I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes.

We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books every day!" He just laughed and handed me half the books.

Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship.

Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak.

Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous.

Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said: "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began.... "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach... but mostly your friends... I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story."

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the
weekend.

He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his mom wouldn't have to do it later, and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize its depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture, you can change a person's life. For better or for worse. God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way. Look for God in others.

You now have two choices. You can:

1) Repost this

or

2) Disregard it and act like it didn't touch your heart.

As you can see, I took choice number 1.

"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly."

There is no beginning or end. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift.





Hunter S. Thompson (the creator of gonzo journalism) killed himself a while ago (Feb 21st, 2005)... it sucks he is dead because he wrote amazing books, and wrote the book and movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

His last wishes were so amazing: He wanted his ashes to be blown into the sky in the form of FIREWORKS. How amazing is that... I wish I was there, just to bask in the glory.



More info here.

Here are some awesome quotes he said / wrote:

"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me."

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."

"I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours."

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."

"Every now and then when your life gets complicated and the weasels start closing in, the only cure is to load up on heinous chemicals and then drive like a bastard from Hollywood to Las Vegas... with the music at top volume and at least a pint of ether."

"A cap of good acid costs five dollars and for that, you can hear the Universal Symphony with God singing solo and the Holy Ghost on drums."



Life takes you all kinds of places and gives you the opportunity to meet different people. If you love me or even just like me as a friend, leave a comment. Then paste this in your own journal to see how many people love you!