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.