My "Celebrity" Itunes Playlist

I'm realistic enough to know that I am not talented and fame will never find me. Sure in high school I was quite delusional, but we all grow up and out of those phases. Now, I do think that my karaoke talents are most entertaining (I keep riding the "Sin Wagon") but I can't sing. I'm aware of it. I'm OK with it.

However, I won't lie...there are days I dream of what it would be like to be famous, to be loved by all these people and as easily forgotten about and go down that celebrity psycho spiral (you know, shave my head, beat a guy with an umbrella and go chasing people down the highway on a coke high). If I was famous, I would absolutely LOVE to do an artist playlist for Itunes. Maybe to get people to listen to fantastic music or maybe just to be a huge narcissist, either works. Since your reading this blog, I know you're interested and are just trembling at finding out what my playlist would be. So, pretend I'm a famous celebrity posed like a ho on itunes.

Manda's Celebrity Playlist:

1. Uprising, Muse- Muse is seriously my current obsession. I happened upon them by listening to a co worker obsess about how fantastic they were and I had to hear for myself. I'm in love!

2. It's not You, Halestorm- Really any Halestorm song could be here. I saw them at the Machine Shop in Flint and was just instantly a fan. It's hard to earn my love and this was love at first sound.

3. Don't Stop Believing, Journey- How many of you have NOT driven down the highway rocking out to this song????

4. Livin on A Prayer, Bon Jovi- See Journey

5. Bye, Bye, Bye, N'Sync- Yes, I Manda, was a fan of the late 90s boy bands. Backstreet Boys, N-Sync, 98 degrees. And I'm not ashamed. I love this whole Cd still. (don't be judging)

6. Paradise by the Dashboard Light, Meat Loaf- I frakking LOVE Meat Loaf. Bat out of Hell is in the top 10 list best albums ever. Paradise is especially fun to sing with your hetero life partner driving down the boring ass Pennsylvania turnpike. (and in case you're wondering, she rocks out the chick part and I'm all over the Meat parts :) )

7. Before He Cheats, Carrie Underwood- Cheat on me bitch, I'll bust the windows out your car.

8.Drunken Lullabys, Flogging Molly- Great Band. Love Celtic music. Love rocking out to it more.

9. Snuff, Slipknot- I still don't believe that this is Slipknot. But it comes up as their song. Love it.

10. Remember, Disturbed- I love this band. I know, I know, all of their stuff sounds the same, but I like it.

11. Brave, Idina Menzel- It is truly awesome to see the original Maureen in "Rent" becoming such a well known talent. Her voice is amazing and its different from a lot of the auto tone crap being produced (That's to you Ke$ha)

I could go on. My musical tastes are pretty eclectic (much like my mind) but I'm sure you;re at the point of boredom. But really check 'em out :)

Erykah Badu - Call Tyrone (live)

Favorite Song this week. Happy Weekend!

Automobiles are not ferocious.. it is man who is to be feared

Living in DC has it's perks. Great Nightlife, lots to do (if you aren't lazy) and pretty well situated on the Eastern Seaboard so New York and Boston aren't far off. But for all the great things, there is one thing that I will never miss on that day I return to my Midwestern roots: Traffic.

I-395= My personal hell after work


Now, I always believed that the worst drivers in the country resided in Michigan, but I really didn't have much to compare that thought to......until i moved here.

There are three types of drivers that reside in DC: The natives, the foreigners and the transplants. Each is identified by specific characteristics and driving habits.

The Natives are the break riders. They are used to traffic, grew up in it and therefore their immediate reflex is to stomp the brakes at any and all times. The next car on the highway can be half a mile in front of them, but said car hits the brakes, guess what, of course the native will hit theirs as well. Native drivers also tend to drive one of the following 3 cars: Toyota Prius, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. They do not believe in turn signals, looking before merging into traffic and are incapable of getting up to speed before exiting the on ramp to the highway.

The foreigners are terrified to drive. They will drive 25 miles an hour, even on the highway and they also seem to be unable to comprehend basic traffic laws. Cab drivers fall into this category as well, only they aren't afraid of driving, they will probably kill you in the crosswalk just to beat a light or make a turn. No foreign driver makes a person driving in DC shudder more than a diplomat plate.

Granted Diplomats do good work, but they are completely incapable of driving in this country. I assume they are used ot driving on the other side of the road, but anytime one sees this plate loose on the highway, we all know to back up and give them space on all four sides. Unpredictability can be fun but not in a car.

Then you have the transplants. We grew up in the country far from the city, corn fed and farm raised, driving riding mowers at age 5 and getting our first tractor at age 12. We take no prisoners on the highway. Transplants are quite agressive, but this anger is fed by the constant stupidity we have to deal with from the natives and foreigners. The problem basically is we know how to drive a car and know what the mirrors attached on all sides are for and we realize a car can go above 30 with no problems.

Even with the 3 categories, there is just some commonality among all of them. Something about getting on a highway into or out of DC makes people turn stupid. Being cut off in traffic is constant and may God help you, should you find yourself stuck on the highway when the sky turns gray, or these water droplet things start falling from the sky. NO ONE knows how to drive when it rains.

Or snows...they close schools on 1 inch of snow. Even the cops are not used to it. I remember the first winter I was here, I was driving at about 55 down 395 in snow flurries and I was pulled over. NOT for speeding, but for driving too fast for conditions. I would like to point my out Michigan license plate was still attached to my vehicle at this time and I laughed in this man's face with a simple "what conditions officer?"

Everyone's free to wear Sunscreen

The past weekend was fabulous. Only had one tour so I had a nice solid 3 day weekend. Yesterday we had Kelsey over and we laid pool side and alternated with jumping in the pool to cool off. As a background note, I am a pasty person. Tanning is not something that my body usually does. I'm very dilligent with the sunscreen. Well, my smart happy butt apparently decided that the tops of my legs were not in need of this critical cream and forgot to put it on.

Fast forward to last night. My legs could easy qualify for lobster red. My knees are crispy and they do not bend painlessly. I laid on the sofa for a bit with painkillers which seemed ot work but they went on strike about 2:00 this morning and so suffice it to say I did not sleep. Today my legs are still nicely red and painful, but the burn is cooling slightly.

I will not, however, be able to pull off running. I've been cruising on the couch to 5K and the second week (last week about killed me). I was planning on running this weekend but things kept jumping out to do so it didn't happen. So now I figure I'm just going to repeat week 2. I didn't feel ready to start week 3 on Friday. Running a minute and a half 8 times still makes me breathless...no way am I going to be able to do 3 minutes of running.But I will truck on. Maybe will try to run tonight but highly unlikely.

Current Favorite Song

Video full of Win!!

Enjoy!

Jesus Christ Superstar

Those who know me well are well aware of how I feel when it comes to my faith. I'm lucky to have an awesome assortment of friends with different beliefs who allow me to debate and grow in my own faith and they can in theirs. I love that openness.

However, apparently quite a few people seem to have other ideas about my faith and assume I have never been a Christian and are shocked and figure that oh that's why I changed...more about that later.

When it comes to my faith, I believe that my relationship with God is a personal one. I don't need others chiming in and I don't need to stand on a street corner shouting, "God, God, God" because our relationship is fine. I've had a very long personal relationship with God that has stretched over years.

I remember going to my Grandparent's house for two weeks every summer and Grandma and I would sing "The Blood Bought Church" at the top of our lungs as it played on the record player. My Gramnoo was the person who really established my early belief in Christianity and she is the example I strive to live as every day, but while she succeeds, I fail miserably.

Granmoo is liberal. She holds many Southern Baptist beliefs but the woman is faithful. She has been through hell and back in the last six years to the point many would have committed suicide. Not Granmoo. She opens one of the 80 or so bibles in her house and reads. She's devoted to prayer and carries worry for many in the world...even people she hasn't met yet. She believes everything is God's plan and the decisions we make are either influenced by him or Satan. She doesn't go to church much because she's found her happy balance in her personal relationship with God and has found other ways to serve him. I've never really figured out where Grandpa falls in his beliefs, other than John Wayne movies are the greatest ever. But there have been times when I see him silently away with head bowed down. I love my Grandparents.

My parents are also more of the non church going Christians.,..but they have reasons. We went to a very nice Baptist church in our town. It was huge, had a good youth Group and the pastor was devoted. However, he was not one that the older generation in the church liked so he was run off and when he left, the church died. Everyone left in disgust. My parents were ostracized because they both had to work to put food on the table. We were poor but my brother and I never knew it because we never lacked anything we needed. Now that I myself have all the financial obligations and see the financial mess my parents continue to deal with even after 30 years, it shocks me.

Dad is a truck driver. He has left to other jobs, but he always comes back to the truck. To him, that's God's plan for him. He accepted it and while his bosses are kind of jerks, he endures and continues down the road one mile at a time. I do remember how excited we were when he would be able to make it one of our school recitals. Up until I was in middle school and my brother in fourth grade, many people assumed my mom was single or divorced. Mom, was sad when she could no longer stay home with us, so when we entered school she became a CNA. She has worked hard for 22 years, going to school to work up to her LPN and she is a damn good nurse.

I'm lucky to have such awesome individiuals as role models who have shaped my faith. I myself have always been devoted to God. However, I have never made it public knowledge or stood in the church screaming "All hail God!" I'm not attacking anyone who does that because that's their way of showing their devotion but for me it doesn't work. To me as I stated above, my relationship with God is a quiet and reflective one. I don't usually go to church because none can feed me spiritually. The experiences of years past with preacher has made it hard for me to find one that speaks to me. However, thanks to my awesome friend Kelsey, I have finally found one. But I'm not going there to shout and praise. I enjoy church as it allows me an hour of quiet and uniterrupted time with God. I can sit and reflect with no distractions.

The best way to describe me is I'm a liberal non-judgmental Christian. What does that mean, exactly? Well, it means I try to not judge people for their beliefs or how they choose to live their life. I won't force feed you my beliefs, but I hope that you will also do the same for me with yours. Judging people takes way to much time and that is something that is hard to come by these days. Plus, frankly it's not my job. I think God, while he knows the details, also knows that we aren't perfect and is just happy for us to lead a good life, treat others with kindness and continue his work in small ways, be it spend a day at the homeless shelter serving food or going to a small gathering on easter Sunday. AS long as you keep the commandments, all the other stuff kind of falls into place. He is always forgiving. Sadly, his followers don't always practice what he preaches and those are usually the ones who make a big deal of their walk with God.

MY faith was truly shaped when I moved 3 years ago. I moveds to a large city from farm ville , away from everyone and everything I knew and that was familliar. The first six months here were the somne of the worst months of my life. I didn't know anyone so I did a lot of praying because it was the only relationship I had close. I had three awesome friends who kicked it into gear and did everything they could to support me, even if it was a simple phone call or a bitch slap to get over myself. I love you, Mon, Ape and Sar :)I think this trying time was when I really understood what I wanted my spiritual relationship and faith to be. I haven't looked back since and now my life, despite crushing student loan debt is awesome. I have a wonderful husband who is supportive, lovin and cracks me up with his wit daily ( I love you Hunbun!), two fur ball children (although I still remain convinced they are going to kill me in my sleep) and a job that is slowly killing me everyday, but I love it and love what I do.

I'm just keeping on , keeping on. Trying to be good and yet failing daily in his grace. But, I think that's how he likes it. I learn more. This is the last time you will hear me preach. Because I've revealed too much already. :)

Manda

From Couch to 5K

Next week, I've decided to begin the Couch to 5K program as a weight loss method. I have spent most of my life loathing running, but living in DC, everyone here runs. Most people are pretty skinny too, so I feel even more fat and inadequate. I've been watching biggest loser many seasons and when I see these 300 pound people running 5K's, I feel even more pathetic. So, I've decided to attempt this running thing.

My running hatred and I go way back. I did track for 3 seasons in high school and also while in middle school. I really only did it because I didn't want to take gym so I needed 2 years of a varsity sport. I couldn't do softball because I was honest enough with myself to know that hand/eye coordinatiion was a virtue I severely lacked. That pretty much cancelled out basketball and volleyball as well. Which unfortunately, since I went to a Class D school, left track as the only other option.

Granted, there were some fun times with track. But honestly, I sucked. I didn't run..I ran enough to get me through the 200 I had to run on a relay, but I never went for long distances. I remember our track coach decided we were going to run 5 miles through the town....yeah..I pretty much ran 3 blocks and walked it. I wanted to run it but it was just too painful and too much work..and frankly, I was lazy.

Side stiches didn't help the cause. Those are what scare me currently as I prepare for this program. Everyone says just push through it, but I just can't because the pain literally takes my breath away. I've spent countless hours combing the internet about ways to prevent the stiches, but every method I've tried hasn't worked. Hopefully I can push through it.

So, if it's painful and I hate running, why am I doing this? I am in serious need of losing weight but it's more than that. I want to prove to myself that I can do it. I have never been able to and have always told myself I can't do it so I want to prove to myself that I can bitch slap my body and overcome my brain's hesitance. It will be hard and I will try to quit many times...I'm sure of it. But I know I can do this.

Check back next week :)

Love is Evol

A week ago I found myself with a spare minute and was browsing the interwebs. For whatever reason, I decided to see if Christopher Titus was touring. I love Titus, it was a smart, funny show ahead of it's time and it saddens me that it was cancelled.

As soon as I googled, there at the top was "Christopher Titus: State Theater, Falls Church, VA" April 1st...OMG!!! Of course, immediately get on the horn to the hubs squealing like a piggie from excitement and We got our tickets immediately.

Fast forward to April 1st. I decided to meet hubby at the metro station to save taking two cars to the venue, which meant taking the metro orange line. OK, now it's important to point out that I have ridden the orange line before....The orange line and Blue line run on the same track for a period of time and split at Rosslyn station. They usually alternate. Well one day I left work after the usual day of hell (construction has no good days unless we are receiving a bonus) and was reading a book. Well the orange line train went by so I just assume the next train is the blue one, and since I'm very involved in my book, I just hop the next train, sit down and just read...

Both trains end up going above ground, blue line to the airport and orange line down I66. I'm sitting there and look up from my book and realize that there is a highway on both sides of the train...then hear the announcement, "Next stop, Vienna" What?! I just rode the entire length of the Orange line...a 45 minute detour from where I should have been..well ever since then I've been bitter and hate the Orange line. (although, really, it's all my fault) Well I got on the Orange line and head off towards Vienna and got picked up in Falls by the hubs.

We get to the theater ,have dinner and wait. Then the show begins. I'm extremely excited. I love Titus and have ever since his show, which of course was cancelled too soon, which Fox is so dependable for (hello, Family Guy!) and it was great. He's working on new material for his next show and then he went into his last show, "Love is Evol" which is about his divorce and very funny. It ended up being a 2 1/2 hour show. With a meet and greet!

We were in line and I was shaking, which was unusual but I was just too excited. The guy in front of me asked me to take a pic for him and I tried, but I was just shaking too much..lol and then we got our picture and he signed out tickets..(didn't think to bring the DVDs sittin gat home, epic fail on my part) and we headed home, very happy.

The most difficult decision

My husband is giving up pop (soda). For support he has asked me to do, so I'm going to attempt. I am quite terrified. I've only been up 2 hours and I'm already craving a delicious diet pop for lunch...but I'm not going to be able to have it....OMG!

Check back for updates this week about how it's going.

Feeling Political...Vive la resistance!

I've been listening to the new MUSE cd pretty much non stop. I LOVE it! Every song on there just has that 80s throwback with the keyboard harmonics and it's different from the usually crap that's out there (KEI$HA!)

Their lyrics are very political and I myself tend to love discussing the politics. It's hard not to living in the epicenter of them and having friends that work in the Judiciary and Senate who provide me with endless dirt and stories, so Yay politics!

I play the song Uprising and jam out when I get the privledge of driving the nice car (hubby gets to drive it because A) I'm a nice wife and B) I picked it but his check usually pays for it). Have you heard this song? OMG! It speaks to me! It's a rallying cry to overthrow wall street and take back control of our country. Something I would love very much :)

Uprising
MUSE

The paranoia is in bloom,
the PR ,The transmissions will resume
They'll try to push drugs
Keep us all dumbed down and hope that
We will never see the truth around
(So come on!)

Another promise, another scene,
anotherA package not to keep us trapped in greed
With all the green belts wrapped around our minds
And endless red tape to keep the truth confined
(So come on!)

They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They will not control us
We will be victorious

Interchanging mind control
Come let the revolution take its toll
if you couldFlick the switch and open your third eye,
you'd see thatWe should never be afraid to die
(So come on!)

Rise up and take the power back,
it's time thatThe fat cats had a heart attack,
you know thatTheir time is coming to an end
We have to unify and watch our flag ascend

They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They will not control us
We will be victorious
Hey .. hey ... hey .. hey!

They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They will not control us
We will be victorious

Loves!

Um..What?

Comment posted on NBC4's website in regards to the flooding in the area:

"I'm furious because the heavy snows and rains of this season are certainly signs that global climate change is upon us. The warming climate means more precipitation of all kinds. My basement is flooded, and is likely to continue being flooded because of the changes in the weather. We've had decades to take action on this horrible environmental threat, and all we get is flaky skeptics who say it will cost too much to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Well, who is going to pay for fixing my basement so it doesn't keep leaking as the rains and snows continue???"

Umm...YOU are going to pay for your basement. It's your own damn fault you bought either A) a poorly constructed house or B) you bought a house in a flood plain. It's not my job or the Govt's job to pay for your stupidity or to fix anything because of this Global warming....

FYI in 1974 there was an article in Time magazine stating that we were under threat of Global Freezing.....so which is it?

Secret Single Behavior not so secret right now!

Hubs is out of town so I've been able to get back to my singleness for a few days. While I miss him and miss my heater, there were a few nice things.

One is not having to shut the bathroom door. Don't get me wrong, I do not have exhibionist tendencies, I just hate small spaces and all the bathrooms in apartments I've lived in are tiny. So I feel claustophobic when the door is shut. Plus I got tired of a dog or cat scratching at the door crying to come in (still haven't figured out why). So when my husband moved in, he's not as cool with the door being open so I had to close it. And I count every single second I'm in that bathroom until the door is open. It's bad. I'm a weirdo, this I know!

I also enjoy putting my ipod on the speakers and jamming out! Granted I could do that when my husband is around, but when he's not, I'm not just casually dancing and singing along. I am Britney or Lady Gaga and I am throwing out a hip! Not that I have shame, but you know, I'm pretty sure I'm not sexy, but I'm having a damn good time!

I hate doing dishes. so I don't use them. I drink out of everything and eat stuff out of the can and my fingers are my utensils. It's nice :)

I'm thankful I'm not one of those wives whose husband defines her and doesn't have the ability to do anything without her husband. I did text him yesterday but only because there were a few things I wanted to tell him and I wanted to know where the controller to the xbox (DVD player) was at. Of course he took it...so dammit. At least I have the dell. Also I am pretty easy to entertain so time is flying.

If I Could, this is how I would fix Welfare...A work in progress

It is not hard to fix the welfare system in America. Personally, since I'm paying for it, I think I should be allowed to determine how my money is spent. The following is what I propose.

1) Random drug tests when people claim the check. Mandatory would not work. People could easily plan their illegal drug use and there are ways of masking it. They expect it so what do they care? Randomly, they wouldn't ever know if that day is the day they got tested. If I depended on that check, if I knew I could be tested without warning, do you think I would be smoking that crack or pot and risk losing that money?? No way!

2) Limit on children covered. Yes, yes I know, you can't tell people how many children they can have. Which is a sad thing when you have idiots like the Duggars with their 19 kids and counting. HOWEVER, if I'm the one working hard just to feed myself but also feeding millions of these fatherless children, I should have a say how that money is spent. Therefore, the limit is 3 children. You can have all you want, but the maximum we have to pay for is 3. I don't think this is unreasonable.

3) Proof of job search- Knowing several people on unemployment, it is pretty easy to simply write down where you searched for a job and how long and who you sent a resume or application to. But I think if you send it by email, you should have to provide proof of the time and date sent by printing it out. This would occur to anything sent snail mail. Provide proof of delivery.

4) Welfare for 2 years- NO EXTENTIONS. If you can't find a job in that time, better find a rich man (or woman). However, I think Michigan people should be eligible for every year Granholm has been in office because there aren't any jobs there. Even McDonalds are laying off.

Some of these might be a little extreme but this is the issue. It is not the government's job to take care of us. It is not my job to take care of you. We are supposed to take care of ourselves. In the end, that's the only person you can depend on. You chose to have those kids. Therefore, it's your job to take care of them. Not mine, not your neighbor's, not the Govt. It's yours. It's funny how we don't want the Govt in our business but we want the Govt to help us. You can't have it both ways.

I do want to say: there are people who are legitimately hurting and don't want the help but need it. It's nice to have these social programs, but they are bankrupting us as quick as the congress is. When no one has money, what then??

Grace, Thy Name Ain't Amanda

I am not a graceful person. Many women walk this earth and can walk into the room, well put together and everyone turns to say how graceful she is. Not me. Nope. I'm the one who walks into the room and people laugh after I trip over a non existant obstacle and collapse to the floor with the contents of my purse scattering about.

Even as a little girl in ballet glass, it was quite obvious that was not a path I was going to take. Most of the girls in class were very lean and tall, while I was short round and tanky. Oh yeah i'm built like a tank. Big boned to the core. Also, no ounce of grace at all. If you don't believe me, ask my mom to show you the videos (I have no shame) It looked like a moose plopping around the stage. But I was into it. I gave it everything. That showed.

In middle school I decided that I just had to run from the High school back to the middle school after band. Managed to find the one raised spot in the sidewalk and fell, breaking my middle finger in front of most of the middle school. I think the slap to my pride was worse pain though.

It's not uncommon for me to run into walls or run into doors and working in an office enviornment, there is ample opportunity for this to occur. At home I can trip over nothing or open the freezer door and the glass syrup bottle will fall down and crack me on the head knocking me out for a second (true story, 2 weeks ago). The most common home obstacle is the cats. They trip me quite a bit. I think it's their conspiracy against me though. But that's a blog for another time.....

My husband has given up hope and accepts that I'm going to trip or get hurt somehow. It's almost funny to a point. I will walk down the hall and hit something, cry "ouch" and he just shakes his head and sighs. He knows it's pointless to tell me to be careful. Because i'm just not.

Grace I am not....Bull in a china shop? Yes I am.

Was Caryle a Vampire?

Last night was the first tour of the year. It was great catching up with the guides and getting back into the swing of things. Granted about an hour and half before the tour, with my head hanging in the toilet, I wasn't so sure it was going to work out, but I felt better and made it. Putting on the costume was interesting. I had to squeeze it around my body,which sucked because it was clear I wasn't breathing again until I took it off later that night. Laziness over the winter will do that.

I lucked out and had a decent group of 8th graders who did seem to genuinely enjoy the tour. But with each tour season comes the new round of stupid questions. The Caryle House tends to bring up the most common question.....was Carlye a vampire? Seriously?? Damn those "Twilight" books to hell. After that question being met with a very pleasant No, then comes the next question, did he know any vampires. Then after answering No yet again, in my mind I'm standing there in disbelief when I realize they are being serious in asking these questions. Did I mention a vampire at ALL? How do we go from a cat to vampire? Granted I tend to make mental jumps like a TV being changed as well, but this is one jump I apparently miss in logic.

The cemetary is always the next round of fun. First, let me start off by saying, The Old Presbyterian Meeting House Cemetary scares me. I don't enjoy being there. It's creepy and weird things just happen. The black cat sitting on Carlye's grave last year was enough to make me want to run out of there...but I'm a professional so I didn't scream in fear. Well last night, nothing out of the ordinary happened. However, the girls in my group, were the screamy girls..IE they are afraid of everything and when one starts, they all start. Apparently Stephaine was pretty scary because as soon as she entered the cemetary with her group, these girls went nuts. Then I tell them story about the Revolutionary Soldier and my encounter with him (which is kind of embellished but it drives the fear home) and that was it, the girls were done.

Overall, not a bad tour or group. I was definitely rusty and Laura's story didn't go in the usual order but not like I don't have 50 other tours this month to get it right. Now if this cold weather would just go away we will be rocking. Also, guess I better lose those 10 pounds I gained so i can breathe in my costume again.