Rock and Roll Saved My Soul

Don't know what to write about for our upcoming anthology, Rise Above? We've scoured the internet and come up with some that would make for some interesting stories! Below you will find ten writing prompts to help you if you're drawing a blank.  1. Imagine that you have decided to become an “anti-bully," a person who says nice things to build people up instead of mean things to beat people down.  2. Create a story about a bully who decides to change his ways. Determine what it is that made the bully want to change and detail how his life is different after switching “mean" to “serene." 3. One of the reasons that people are mean is in an effort to be more popular. Imagine that popularity was completely different and it was based on how nice kids could be to one another. If that were to happen, who would be the popular kids in your school? If the meanest people were the least popular, who would be the least popular kids? 4. A demon is as...

3-25-19 -  I'm not sure why, but today I felt very just blah. I felt very ehh. I wanted to be on the computer, but after the fight with my boyfriend on Friday I didn't want to be on it either. I still did a stream of Jurassic world eveolution. It was just wierd that I would turn computer on and check a couple things and then turn it all of again. I'm passed it now thankfully. Things are slowly going back to normal. Thankfully.

We're a couple days early, but have you ever wondered what the deal was with April Fools' Day? Look no further!  Although April Fools’ Day, also called All Fools’ Day, has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, its exact origins remain a mystery. Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes. These pranks included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as “poisson d’avril” (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person. Historians have also linked April Fools’ Day to festivals such as Hilaria, which was celebra...

At 4 a.m. on March 28, 1979, the worst accident in the history of the U.S. nuclear power industry begins when a pressure valve in the Unit-2 reactor at Three Mile Island fails to close. Cooling water, contaminated with radiation, drained from the open valve into adjoining buildings, and the core began to dangerously overheat. The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant was built in 1974 on a sandbar on Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna River, just 10 miles downstream from the state capitol in Harrisburg. In 1978, a second state-of-the-art reactor began operating on Three Mile Island, which was lauded for generating affordable and reliable energy in a time of energy crises. After the cooling water began to drain out of the broken pressure valve on the morning of March 28, 1979, emergency cooling pumps automatically went into operation. Left alone, these safety devices would have prevented the development of a larger crisis. However, human operators in the control room misread con...

Title:  The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star Author: Nikki Sixx Genre: Memoir Number of Pages: 413 Synopsis:  Set against the frenzied world of heavy metal superstardom, the co-founder of Motley Crue offers an unflinching and gripping look at his own descent into drug addiction. It follows him during the year he plunged to rock bottom and his courageous decision to pick himself up and start living again." I was given this book from my good friend Gina to read. I had posted a photo on Facebook talking about how the best gift one could get was a copy of someone's favorite book, with highlighted passages that mean a lot to them, so you can read the book through their eyes. This is exactly what she did. I didn't know much about the book before I started reading it, other than I knew it was her favorite book and that it was about Nikki Sixx.  It was an interesting read. Hard to read at times though because of the subject, but ...

STOMP Out Bullying is the charity we have chosen for our upcoming anthology, Rise Above to benefit. Below you will find more information about this wonderful charity and what they're doing to change the culture. Initially established as the signature program of Love Our Children USA™ in 2003, its founder recognized a critical need to address the issue of bullying and cyberbullying and created STOMP Out Bullying™ in 2005. Today STOMP Out Bullying™ is the leading national bullying and cyberbullying prevention organization for kids and teens in the U.S. A pioneer on the issue, it is the most influential anti-bullying and cyberbullying organization in the country and beyond. STOMP Out Bullying™ is dedicated to changing the culture for all students. It works to reduce and prevent bullying, cyberbullying  and other digital abuse, educates against homophobia, LGBTQ discrimination, racism and hatred, and deters violence in schools, online and in communities across...

If you knew there was an 80% chance that someone was going to commit murder in their lifetime, but a 20% chance that they would not, would you imprison them before they had the opportunity? What if it were 50-50? Kate: This can be a tricky situation. Knowing there is a high probability that someone is going to do something can skew your view of them and use that to justify treatment or prejudice. But at the same if you could stop it, you'd want to. Locking them up could contribute to them committing said murder, because it's not something that just happens outside of prison.  From a psychological standpoint, I'd want to help them, if that was possible.. Nature versus nurture kind of thing. Obviously you shouldn't be treated as a criminal if you're not one.  Sandy:  No, however in our courts seems no one cares. People get let go for something they did or people are put in for something they didn't. People will do what they want no matter what. ...

Life with Skin Cancer  by Lori McBroom  Tuesday, August 29th, 2018 - Got a biopsy on my nose. Had to wait a few weeks to hear back from my dermatologist. Got a phone call telling me I had skin cancer or mohs. Had to make an appointment to get it removed. Wednesday, October 3rd, 2018 - Went to another dermatologist to go through two rounds of scrapes to remove it from my nose.   Thursday, October 11th, 2018 - Need a skin graft to cover the hole by my nose. Got six stitches on my face. I couldn't go to work the next day because I was on antibiotics for the skin graft.  Wednesday, October 24th, 2018 - Got my stitches removed from my face and no longer have to wear a huge band-aid on my face!  Wednesday, November 14th, 2018 - Got a pouch removed from the skin graft. Just had to wear a normal band-aid. I am real glad this was caught early. I also couldn't sleep very well during this time due to the band-aids over my nose.  ...

3-19-19   - I have been having issues with my hands lately. I got them checked and right now I am no longer to work overtime. Which sends me into a spiral of depression. Cause now if I need money, I have to ask the boyfriend just to get to next payday. I hate it. I'm an independent person and asking for help no matter who I am asking is hard and I feel like crap doing it. I feel like I have failed when I have to ask for help. I'm in a funk too because of things with my boyfriend. I'm at a point where I'm not sure if I stay or go. My biggest issue is I want to leave, but I have no friends or family that can help me which just sends my depression to a whole other level. I just feel like I'm stuck in a never ending circle. I have decided to go to see someone to get their advice. I mean my friends are great and I love them a lot for being as supportive as they are. They do help me in ways I couldn't think, but I need help. I have dealt with my depression l...

What is Epilepsy? Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder and affects people of all ages. Epilepsy means the same thing as "seizure disorders." Epilepsy is characterized by unpredictable seizures and can cause other health problems. Epilepsy is a spectrum condition with a wide range of seizure types and control varying from person-to-person. Public misunderstandings of epilepsy cause challenges that are often worse than the seizures. Epilepsy is a chronic disorder, the hallmark of which is recurrent, unprovoked seizures. A person is diagnosed with epilepsy if they have two unprovoked seizures (or one unprovoked seizure with the likelihood of more) that were not caused by some known and reversible medical condition like alcohol withdrawal or extremely low blood sugar. The seizures in epilepsy may be related to a brain injury or a family tendency, but often the cause is completely unknown. The word "epilepsy" does not in...

The spring equinox (also called the March equinox or vernal equinox) falls on Wednesday, March 20, 2019, at 5:58 P.M. EDT. This event marks the astronomical first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.  Full Moon: For the first time in nearly 40 years, the spring equinox will occur on the same day as March’s Full Worm Moon. The last time that these two events landed on the same date was on March 20, 1981, though they did come close again in March 2000, separated by a span of only four hours. But that’s not all: March’s full Moon will also be a supermoon, meaning that it will be slightly larger and brighter than most of the other full Moons this year. What Does Equinox Mean? The word equinox comes from the Latin words for “equal night”—aequus (equal) and nox (night). On the equinox, the length of day and night is nearly equal in all parts of the world. With the equinox, enjoy the increasing sunlight hours, with earlier dawns and later sunsets.  Q: I...

Gina: Not sure Kate:   Probably something by Switchfoot, maybe “This Is Your Life” Sandy:   "Every Rose Has It Thorn" by Posion and "I'm Back" by Eminem Aisling:  What A Wonderful World Twinkle:   Thousand Years   Sid:   I've never really thought about it. Maybe the Kingdom Hearts opening themes. Heather:  I'm not sure. Maybe I Will Not Say Goodbye by Danny Gokey. Lori:   Drink a Beer by Luke Bryan  Radeyah: None Facebook Weighs In:  Disturbed - Hold on to Memories and Already Gone -Shauna Y.

Does a belief in free will make you more or less happy? Kate: Yes and no. The belief doesn't so much, but the fact that I can make my own decisions does. I'm not sure I believe in it truly, because somethings are just out of our hands, but knowing that I can make my own decisions does. Sandy:  I don't believe this to be true. I mean if it's something you can get it's only a temporary happiness. It's takes so much to be happy. Facebook Weighs In: The belief doesn't. Actual free will would make me happy -Anita S. More happy - Lori M. It makes me more happy -Heather K.

Saint Patrick’s Day, feast day (March 17) of St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland. Born in Roman Britain in the late 4th century, he was kidnapped at the age of 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped but returned about 432 to convert the Irish to Christianity. By the time of his death on March 17, 461, he had established monasteries, churches, and schools. Many legends grew up around him—for example, that he drove the snakes out of Ireland and used the shamrock to explain the Trinity. Ireland came to celebrate his day with religious services and feasts. It was emigrants, particularly to the United States, who transformed St. Patrick’s Day into a largely secular holiday of revelry and celebration of things Irish. Cities with large numbers of Irish immigrants, who often wielded political power, staged the most extensive celebrations, which included elaborate parades. Boston held its first St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1737, followed by New York City in 1762. Since 1962 ...

Life With Depression  By Sandy Ashley 3-9-2019 -  Today was pretty stressful for me. My anxiety was bad because of money related issues. I just tried to stay calm about things though and do my best to fix what was going on. Which sometimes I have a very hard time doing. My depression is still showing, which doesn't help the money thing at all. I tend to shop when I'm depressed for things that make me happy. Super bad habit, but not sure how to fix that. I been seriously thinking about seeing someone to talk with them to help me. I have a few places I can call that my insurance will cover from like a couple weeks ago when I had a serious meltdown. I had not been that low in a long time and had even thought about it when I started graves back in November 2018. Cause I had a lot going on before that with the boyfriend. Knowing things were going to change because of lack of time together and a whole mess of other things. On another note my boyfriend's parents ar...

Journal Entry #1: The Beginning By Gina Dierolf 3/14/2019 - For a good chunk of my life I can remember dealing with some type of invisible illness. Considering that I have a couple, Asthma, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Plantar Fasciitis, Allergies, Migraines, Arthritis, and Anxiety. These have impacted my life significantly in ways by inhibiting me from enjoying activities and being able to go through day to day tasks at time. In my opinion the most prevalent invisible illness that I have been handed is anxiety. According to the American Psychological Association’s website anxiety is defined as “...an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure. People with anxiety disorders usually have recurring intrusive thoughts or concerns. They may avoid certain situations out of worry.” My earliest memory of having symptoms of anxiety was the summer between 6th and 7th grade. During that summer I remember not ...

As most of you know, a lot of the RRSMS anthologies revolve around music. And what better way to creatively showcase the anthologies is by putting together playlists of bands and songs featured in our anthologies. That's the way it started anyway. From there we started working on playlists for the other anthologies, using the book's theme as the basis for the playlist.  Below you will find links to playlists for most of our current anthologies, as well as our upcoming anthology, Rise Above. We are gladly taking song suggestions for all of the non-music themed anthologies, if you have ideas! RRSMS Volume One Random Acts of Kindness I Am Loved Fighting Chance Everyday  Miracles Invisible, Not Imagined Second Chance The Concert Experience A Musician's Tale (includes interviewed bands and their musical influences) Rise Above RRSMS Volume Two coming soon! 

Victim of the New Disease Tour Concert Review  By Gina Dierolf On February 28th, 2019 I attended a concert at the Reverb in Reading, Pennsylvania. The bands who performed were Vitruvia, Sleep Signals, Escape the Fate, Attila, and All That Remains. Tickets were fairly cheap, $22.00 (I received my tickets for free since I won a contest sponsored by Vertigo Music) and the doors opened at 5:30 PM and it would appear that concert had begun at around 6:00 PM.             Vitruvia was the opening band to perform during this concert. They are a local Pennsylvania band that I have seen numerous times and each time their set is a blast and they have an energetic stage presents that makes you want to be a part of the action. I was only able to catch the last two songs in their set this time since the line to get into the venue was very long and the concert had started earlier than I assumed it would. I believe Vitruvia had p...