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One of my favorite things to do during an electrical thunderstorm evening is watching a horror-fiction DVD movie by no other screenwriter, film producer, director Steven King, himself.

Steven King was born September 21, 1947 in Portland Maine.  When he was in grade school, he enjoyed reading horror stories.  King studied English at the University of Maine, where he graduated in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science in English.  He received his teaching certificate and when he was unable to find a job, he sold his short stories to magazines and continued to write novels.  It was during this time that King developed a drinking problem that lasted for more than a decade.

King, who also wrote under the pen name Richard Bachman, have sold an estimated 300-350 million copies of his books.  King has written such books as Carrie, Salem’s Lot, The Shining, The Stand, The Golden Years, and many others.  Some of the novles were made into movies.  Such movies include Rose Red, The Lawnmower Man, Pet Sematary, Kingdom Hospital, and Storm of the Century, among others.  My favorite DVD movie is The Langoliers.

One of the most popular items in video games is the Nintendo Wii better known as just Wii.  Wii originated in 2001. 

The spelling of Wii with two lower case “ii” characters is meant to resemble two people standing side by side, representing players gathering together, as well as to represent the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.  Wii can easily be remembered by everyone around the world.

The Wii is Nintendo’s smallest home console to date; it measures 44 mm (1.73 in) wide, 157 mm (6.18 in) tall and 215.4 mm (8.48 in) deep in its vertical orientation, the near-equivalent of three DVD cases stacked together.   The included stand measures 55.4 mm (2.18 in) wide, 44 mm (1.73 in) tall and 225.6 mm (8.88 in) deep.  The system weighs 1.2 kg (2.7 lb).

The Wii Remote is the primary controller for the console.  The device bundled with the Wii retail package is the Nunchuk unit, which features an accelerometer and a traditional analog stick with two trigger buttons.  You can also use an attachable wrist strap to prevent the player from unintentionally dropping or throwing the Wii Remote.   In response to incidents of strap failure, Nintendo is offering a free, stronger replacement for all straps.   Nintendo has also since offered the Wii Remote Jacket to provide extra grip and protection.

There is no other product for use on glass which will give the brilliant clarity of waterless carwash.  The glass will seem to disappear.  The product also makes a glass surface smoother, or slippery, so that water runs off a windshield without a trace.  The “slick” surface also means that insects, bird droppings and tree sap can be removed effortlessly. 

In winter, windshields and outside mirrors protected by waterless carwash are more easily cleared of snow and ice.

According to the New York Times, this week best selling book is “Swallowing Darkness (Meredith Gentry, Book 7)” by Laurell K. Hamilton.

Laurell K. Hamilton is an American fantasy Romance writer.  She is the author of the series “Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter” about a female paranormal investigator and her relationships with vampires and werewolves.  The series runs to 16 novels as of May 2008, and a number of short story collections and other tie-in media such as comic books.  More than 6 million copies of Anita Blake novels have been printed and it has became a New York Times bestseller.  

In 2000 Hamilton started the Merry Gentry series, an urban fantasy in which the world of fairies interacts with the “real world” and live in the USA.  “Swallowing Darkness” is the 7th book in the series.  In this eposide, Merry is pregnant with twins and is to be the heir to the queen but conspirators are trying to kill her.  Will she make it in time?

On November 18, 2008, the following DVD movie was released - “WALL-E” -a disney movie about Disney  and Pixar joining forces for this computer-animated tale about a wide-eyed robot who travels to the deepest reaches of outer space in search of a newfound friend. 

The year is 2700, and planet Earth has long been uninhabitable.  For hundreds of years, WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) has been taking out the trash, and collecting precious knick-knacks in order to stave off the boredom of his dreary routine.  Little does WALL-E realize that he has recently stumbled onto a secret that could save planet Earth, and once again make the ravaged planet safe for all humankind. 

WALL-E makes friends with advanced search robot EVE.  When EVE realizes the value of his remarkably discovery, she excitedly races back to let the humans know that there’s hope for their home planet after all.  But after centuries being alone in space, WALL-E can’t stand the thought of losing the only friend he’s ever known, and eagerly follows her back to her home planet on the adventure of a lifetime.  Along the way, the friendly trash-collecting robot who has always known what he was made for gradually begins to understand what he was meant for. 

Have you thought about what to buy your parents for Christmas this year?  What about buying them a DVD about their favorite televised miniseries drama from way back when?

One of the very first miniseries televised in 1977 was “Roots.”  A dramatization of author Alex Haley’s family line from ancestor Kunta Kinte’s enslavement to his descendents’ liberation. 

Another notable miniseries was “Kane and Abel” released in 1985.  Kane and Abel are born on the same day the same year on each side of the Atlantic.  They immediately become rivals and the confrontation between these two men, both striving for power and success, made the finance capital of the world tremble.

But my favorite of all miniseries is the “The Thorn Birds” released in 1983.  The story centers on their daughter, Meggie, and her love for the family’s priest, Father Ralph.  Meggie tries to forget Ralph by marrying dashing stockman Luke, but she and Ralph are soon reunited, with tragic consequences for them both.

These are just some of the miniseries of 20 years ago that your parents would love to reminisce about and would enjoy to share with their children.

It is easy to care for your vehicle during waterless carwash applications.  All you need is two soft terry towels - a small washcloth and a hand towel.

Wet the smaller one with water until it is almost dripping, then lightly run over the area to be cleaned.  DO NOT RUB HARD!  The dirt and water will not stick to the waterless carwash on the surface.

Now take the dry, larger towel and lightly buff the area dry.  The waterless carwash shine will come right back.  Usually, one wetting of a small washcloth is enough to finish an entire car.  However, if your car is really dirty with caked mud, etc., remove it from the surface with care.

David Baldacci’s is a novelist who received his bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and his law degree from the University of Virginia. 

All of Baldacci’s books have become national and international bestsellers, translated into over 37 languages and sold in more than 85 countries.  Over 40 million copies of Baldacci’s books are in print worldwide. 

Divine Justice is his latest Camel Club thriller.  The Camel Club consists of four political watch-dogs, who are always looking for conspiracies within the government.

I have always loved to play video games. Some of my first and greatest memories are of playing my first Atari back in the early 1980s. After the Atari came my first Nintendo. I promptly fell in love with games like Super Mario Brothers, Tetris and Zelda. But as I got older I wanted a personal game playing station that was more technologically advanced.

When the Nintendo Wii came out a few years ago I knew I had found my one true love. At first this bothered my girlfriend, who swore she would never waste her time on video games. But to my surprise she eventually came around. I guess she figured that “if you can’t beat them, join them.”

There’s nothing better to do on a chilly winter evening than to spend it with your sweetheart. Dark, blustery nights are always a good excuse to spend a night in snuggled on the couch with your loved one. Women are suckers for romantic movies, but some guys are clueless when it comes to romance and finding the right new DVD releases. The following list includes nine romantic movies that are sure to melt any girl’s heart.

1.) Urban Cowboy
2.) Say Anything
3.) The English Patient
4.) High Fidelity
5.) Brokeback Mountain
6.) An Officer And A Gentleman
7.) Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
8.) Casablanca
9.) Some Like It Hot