Celtic Woman

I have discovered the most beautiful and haunting musical group ever. They are called Celtic Woman and their musical abilities are just amazing. The group includes five lead vocalists and a violinist. This picture doesn't show one of the vocalists because she is a new addition to the group but she is just as talented as the others.

All the girls have extremely successful solo careers and did so even before they got together for Celtic Woman, but collectively they are jaw dropping. Chloe got her first album out when she was only thirteen years old. At age fifteen, she joined up and toured with Celtic Woman its very first year. She is an amazing soprano singer who adds a touch of innocence to her singing.

Lisa is the brunette and her voice is fantastic. She had already released several albums before becoming one of the Celtic Woman members. She has a wide range of tones she can hit, everything from soprano to an alto. She had only just given birth four weeks before Celtic Woman embarked on its first tour. When she sings May It Be by Enya, it's stunning.

Meav is a truly stunning soprano. All the girls can hit the high notes, but Meav stands out. She's an uber soprano, the kind where you hope no one standing near her has a glass in their hands because she'll shatter it. Have you ever heard Enya sing Marble Halls? Well, Meav can really sing it. And that is saying something because if you ever heard Enya sing it she's phenomenal at it. Like the others, Meav has her own successful solo career as well.

Orla has a very sweet and very Gaelic quality to her voice. She can also play the harp and play it well. Orla is the tall red head and she looks a bit like Celine Dion. But she has the voice of an absolute angel. Any song that calls for a voice as smooth as silk calls for Orla's talent. Plus, she plays the harp for others while they are singing their solo songs. The woman is multi-talented.

Hayley is the last of the vocalists and she is the newest addition. She was not part of the first tour but has since been added to the roster and her voice is just as amazing as the other girls. Like the other's Hayley had a successful singing career before coming into the group and the popularity of Celtic Woman has only made it more so.

Mairead is the violinist and her ability to play fiddle will leave you speechless. Before joining Celtic Woman Mairead had a successful career as a fiddler with several popular bands. And she and several other members of Celtic Woman had also performed with the huge Broadway hit called Riverdance. Mairead took up the violin when she was six years old.

Celtic Woman is an amazing blend of talents and their abilities to harmonize is stunning. The vocalists were all solo singers and trained as soloists so learning to blend their voices was tricky, but it has been so worth it. Their music is fantastic and I can say without a doubt that you will love them if you hear them.

What Are They Hiding?

I just finished reading a news article and all I can say is, what are they hiding? Have any of you ever checked out the websites that let people rate their personal experiences with doctors? I have and I have found them very informative. I don't base my final decision on those ratings, but they do play a part in my choices. Let's face it, every doctor is going to get a bad review now and then. The patient may have been cranky or the doctor's office was extremely busy or something like that. But when people consistently rate a doctor as bad then I think that raises red flags.

It would seem some doctors are so upset about this practice of online ratings that they are now making their patients sign waivers saying that they won't rate their visit on the internet before they will be treated. Hello? Does this shout DANGER to anyone else? Apparently, these waivers are the brain child of some neurologist who started a website where the doctors can print up the waivers. Once signed, the waivers are registered with this site that then monitors the ratings sites to be sure you don't violate the waiver. Our doctors are spying on us and what we do!

This site is also encouraging these doctors to refuse to treat anyone who refuses to sign the waiver and make them find another doctor. If a doctor asked me to sign a waiver, that would be an immediate red flag to me that something was wrong with this doctor. If the doctor is confident in their abilities they won't fear what you rate them as online. In fact, the majority of doctors I've seen rated have all had really high ratings. If a doctor asked me to sign a waiver, my first thought would be what don't they want me to know? What are they hiding? No I would never sign a waiver giving up my first amendment right to free speech. And if they refused to treat me for now doing so, yes I would sue.

There are some doctors now who do virtual diagnosing online nowadays. The technology is there for them to use and they are using it. You can't take advantage of the technology for your own purposes than refuse to let the rest of us do so. This is the ultimate in hypocrisy and sheer stupidity. I personally have the best doctor in the world. I absolutely adore her and give her ten stars and I am saying that online! I have rated her on those websites and given her the highest rating I can. And she has never asked me to sign a waiver! The whole news article can be found at http://cbs3.com/health/medical.justice.online.2.951820.html if you'd like to read the entire thing yourself.

I believe strongly in the freedoms of this country. What some doctors are doing by making you sign a waiver or they won't treat you is just wrong to me. I'm truly disgusted by this. I will NEVER under any circumstances sign a waiver saying I won't let the world know if they I feel they are a bad doctor. I don't base my ratings on them being busy and so the service is slow, or my being in a bad mood. I base my ratings on whether they caused my condition to become worse. And that is the only thing I look for when I check out other people's ratings. This waiver business is just disgusting!

She Actually Said "Let Them Make Cake!"

I have discovered a really fun game for my PS2. It's called Cake Mania 2 Baker's Challenge. The Cake Mania games were originally made for the PC but they then combined the games of Cake Mania and Cake Mania 2 Back to the Bakery for the PS2 release. This game is so much fun.

Jill grew up around her grandparents' bakery and fell in love with making cakes. She comes home after graduating culinary school to find that a big company bought the lease to her grandparents' little bakery and shut them down. Determined to win back their bakery, Jill embarks on a baking adventure with a lot of really quirky customers.

In Back to the Bakery, Jill enters a contest for a free vacation for her grandparents. She has to make her bakery the best in order to win and again must deal with really quirky and demanding customers. Both games are fantastic. The faster you bake the cakes, the more money you get. The more money you make, the better cooking equipment you can get. With better equipment, you can make fancier cakes worth more money.

Cake Mania 2 Baker's Challenge is out now and it is totally fun. You get to make cakes for Santa, Cupid, the Easter Bunny and even Count Dracula along with many other really oddball customers. I love this game. Cake Mania and Cake Mania 2 Back to the Bakery are available as single title releases for the PC and both games are available as a combo for the PS2 which is the version I bought. This game is fun and funny.

Goddess Of The Written Word!

I'm sorry I didn't blog much in February. I wasn't feeling too good but I promise to do better this month. I have lots to talk about. But up first is the announcement of the Goddesss of the Written Word for March. It is none other than the amazing Lynsay Sands!

I love Lynsay Sands. She's absolutely fantastic. Everything she writes, even her historicals contain a major load of humor. My favorites are her Argeneau series. And recently, she has expanded it to include non-Argeneau characters that have stood out. In fact, the last book in the series, The Rogue Hunter was about just such a character. The next book will go back to a family member and it comes out March 31st. I can't wait.

My favorites of Lynsay's historical novels is The Switch. It's HILARIOUS! All I'm going to say is that there is nothing funnier than a guy who thinks he's having feelings for a boy.:-) If you want to check out anything Lynsay writes, click on the link I have up to her website. The Immortal Hunter will be released March 31st and it stars Decker Argeneau Pimms, the son of Martine. Lynsay Sands is March's Goddess of the Written Word. Congratulations!