Monthly Archives: January 2012

Jan30

Blogging from A to Z April Challenge – my 26 favorite things

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Blogging from A to Z April Challenge – my 26 favorite things

I just signed up for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge. In April, I will be blogging everyday except Sundays thematically from A to Z. I will blog about my 26 favorite things: music, movies, tv, sports, people, places and food. I will start on April 1st writing about my favorite thing that starts with the letter A, then April 2nd I’ll write about my favorite thing that starts with the letter B, and so on everyday except Sundays until I end on April 30th writing on my favorite thing that starts with the letter Z. It will be 26 of my favorite things in 26 days. I will also be blogging from A to Z on my On the Road with U2 blog about my 26 favorite U2 songs.

Jan29

I Have Found What I’m Looking For at Dogtopia

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I Have Found What I’m Looking For at Dogtopia

the gym

I have finally found a job I actually like. My mom had been telling me to get a job so I can be with people, since I like to be alone – well alone with my 2 dogs. I found a job, but it’s with dogs, which is why I like it. So much for getting out and being with people. I started working at Dogtopia last week, and I love it! It’s a lot of cleaning up, a lot of barking, it’s early in the morning, it’s tiring, but I love being with dogs all day. It’s hard to describe unless you’re a dog lover, but I just love being around dogs petting them and playing with them. It truly is Dogtopia. And as an added bonus, Dogtopia fosters dogs from Dogs XL Rescue. I have fallen in love with one foster dog named Sanders. He is the sweetest dog and has been at Dogtopia for 3 months. He really needs a family. Unfortunately, I cannot take him because Elvis and Cilla would not be so welcoming – plus I have been warned that if I bring another dog home, I’ll be evicted.

the romp room

I have always wanted to take a passion of mine and turn it into a way of making money. Now I have done just that. I am making a living taking care of dogs, which are my greatest passion. I have finally found what I have been looking for.

Jan21

After 23 years I finally got my picture taken with Brady Anderson

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After 23 years I finally got my picture taken with Brady Anderson

I have loved Brady Anderson (a close third behind Elvis Presley and Larry Mullen) for over 23 years. I have met him many times and gotten his autograph, but have never gotten my picture taken with Brady – until today. I went to the Orioles FanFest today because I knew Brady would be there. Although I didn’t feel the need to buy an autograph voucher for $15, I just figured I would somehow see Brady and get my picture with him. Just a few minutes after arriving at FanFest, my friend spotted Brady walking by. So of course I ran after him and followed him to the photo booth. I walked right up to him, we locked eyes and I said, “Brady! Hi!” He smiled and said, “Hi.” I said, “Are you going to be posing next?” He said, “Yes, posing, stripping, whatever.” Big sigh! I got in line and over a half hour, I finally got my picture taken with Brady Anderson! I walked up to him and he said, “If you’re taller than me, I’m not going to take the picture.” I offered to squat down, but he laughed and said it was ok. I then told him I had been a fan since 1989, I was very glad he was with back with the Orioles, and I looked forward to seeing him at the stadium. He said, “Thanks. That means a lot.” I was shaking and sweating for several minutes after, but at least I didn’t cry like I did after Larry hugged me.

me and Brady Anderson Orioles FanFest 2012

Brady Anderson came to the Baltimore Orioles from the Boston Red Sox in 1988. I was 16 and was instantly in love. I started my Brady Anderson scrapbook when Brady started in centerfield on Opening Day 1989. I have all the tickets from important games, every article about Brady from the Baltimore Sun, every Brady Anderson baseball card and many, many, many pictures. The first time I met Brady Anderson was on my 21st birthday, October 4, 1993. I went to this terrible bar he hung out at, so I could meet him. I talked with him briefly. The second time I met Brady was at Yankee Stadium in New York in 1995. I met him as he got off the bus. This was the first time I got Brady’s autograph. The third time I met Brady was in Cleveland in 2002 when he was traded to the Indians in the last year of his baseball career. I shook his hand in the parking lot after the game. The fourth time I met Brady was a few days later when the Cleveland Indians came to Baltimore. I arrived early for batting practice and stood in the front row. Brady looked up at me and said, “Didn’t I just see you in Cleveland?” I said, “Yes, but I live here in Baltimore.” The fifth time I met Brady was in 2004 at the luncheon when Brady was inducted to the Orioles hall of fame. This was the second time I got his autograph. The sixth time I met Brady was in Cooperstown in 2007 when Cal Ripken was inducted to the baseball hall of fame. Brady was warming up with the Iron Birds, and I had my Cal and Brady tee shirt on. I talked with Brady through the fence and asked him to sign my shirt. He said, “If you take it off, I’ll sign it.” Sigh! Today was the seventh time I met Brady Anderson, but the first time (in 23 years!) I have gotten my picture taken with him!

me and Brady 1.21.12

Jan16

MLK – they took his life, they could not take his pride

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MLK – they took his life, they could not take his pride

Yesterday January 15 was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday, but we celebrate it on the third Monday of January. I am celebrating Dr King’s birthday by remembering all the great things he did for us and sacrifices he made. Dr. King wanted equal rights for everyone, and he was committed to gaining that equality peacefully – no matter what. I have been watching documentaries, biographies and movies about Dr. King and the civil rights movement all day. I know the history. I know what happened, but it’s good to be watch all of these programs and be reminded and inspired that one person can truly make a difference if they truly believe. And I am trying to share Dr. King’s message by posting on Twitter, Facebook and writing this post on my blog.

my MLK Pride shirt

I have been a fan of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr since I learned about him in high school. I may have learned about him earlier, but I don’t remember. I do remember that when I learned about U2 in my freshman year of high school with the release of The Joshua Tree, I realized they were the same group that had sang that song Pride I remembered hearing a few years earlier. Pride, about MLK, was one of my favorite songs back then and still remains one of my favorites today, especially live in concert.

When I moved to Memphis in 2008, I worked at the National Civil Rights Museum. I toured the museum the day after Barack Obama was elected President. It was amazing and incredibly touching to be standing where Dr. King was assassinated 40 years later on the day after a black man was elected president of the US. That day I ran into a friend who worked at the museum and he arranged an interview for me. I worked as a visitor service representative and had a great time teaching people about the civil rights movement. The National Civil Rights Museum is located at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis where Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968. The hotel was gutted for the museum, but the front remains and room 306 where Dr. King stayed is still in tact.

The Lorraine Motel / National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis

In 2009 when U2 played their 360 concert in Atlanta, I arrived a day early so I could visit the Martin Luther King Jr sites including the MLK National Historic Site, the house Dr. King was born in, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and MLK’s grave. I was sick that day in Atlanta but I had always wanted to visit Dr. King’s hometown and nothing was going to stop me.

MLK site

MLK birth house

Ebenezer Baptist Church

MLK grave

Dr Martin Luther King Jr gave many great speeches in his life, but my favorite was his last. It has been dubbed the ‘Mountain Top’ speech, which he gave in Memphis the night before he was assassinated.

One man come in the name of love
One man come and go
One man come here to justify
One man to overthrow
One man caught on a barbed wire fence
One man he resists
One man washed on an empty beach
One man betrayed with a kiss
Early evening, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride
In the name of love!
What more in the name of love? – U2 Pride (in the name of love)

Jan13

Tim Tebow ‘Through My Eyes’

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Tim Tebow ‘Through My Eyes’

One of the things I said I would do in 2012 is to ‘read more and watch less.’ I just finished my first book of 2012, Tim Tebow’s memoir Through My Eyes. It was a good book, very inspirational. Tim chronicled in great detail his football career as a boy while he was home schooled, in college at the University of Florida, and his first season in the NFL with the Denver Broncos. Maybe Tim should have waited to write his memoir because his second year with the Broncos has been an exciting one. Tim also writes about his faith and his mission, or his platform as he calls it, to spread God’s word. In fact, this is more important to Tim than football. He uses his celebrity in football to make a difference in people’s lives through his foundation. It is Tim’s faith that makes him so successful. For me, this autobiography wasn’t so interesting because it wasn’t very personal in the sense of relationships or private life. I am used to reading autobiographies of actors and politicians that read like soap operas. But Tim Tebow is a true Christian and all around good guy, so there was no twisted plot in his memoir. Rather it was an uplifting, inspirational book that restored my faith. Maybe I should read more of these kind of memoirs. Please read this article that shows why Tim Tebow is such a good guy.

I am not a bandwagon drinking the Tim Tebow Kool Aid Denver Broncos fan. I have loved the Denver Broncos for over 26 years. I was a loyal fan through all the lows in the late 1980s and a proud fan in the late 1990s. I have liked Tim Tebow since the Broncos drafted him. In fact, it was the first and only NFL draft I have ever watched. I wanted them to start Tebow as soon as he became a Bronco. And I still wanted him to start when everyone was criticizing him. I know he is not a traditional NFL quarterback, but Tim is a great football player and usually gets the win. I like Tim because he never ever gives up, he believes he’ll accomplish his goal no matter the circumstances, and he always has something encouraging to say even when mistakes are made. And oh yeah, Tim Tebow is a U2 fan.

Bono & Tim Tebow backstage in Denver at the U2 360 concert 5.21.11

Jan8

Elvis is 77!

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Elvis is 77!

Today, January 8, 2012, Elvis Presley would have been 77 years old. He has been dead for over 34 years yet fans still celebrate his birthday by going to Memphis to sing Happy Birthday on the lawn of his house Graceland. Cable television still plays his movies, radio stations still play his songs, and musicians today still honor him with tributes. John Lennon said it best when he said, “Before Elvis there was nothing.” A truer statement was never said.

Unfortunately I wasn’t in Memphis this year to celebrate Elvis’ birthday, but I celebrated here in Maryland by listening to his songs and watching his movies. Some of my favorite Elvis songs are Heartbreak Hotel, Loving Arms, Just Pretend, American Trilogy and Love Me. My favorite Elvis movies are Girl Happy, Wild in the Country, Jailhouse Rock, Loving You, and King Creole. Girl Happy is my favorite because one of the female leads is named Deena, and hearing Elvis say my name over and over again makes me very happy. The other four movies are truly great movies with real plots and good acting – can’t say as much for the other 27 movies.

The Elvis movies are the reason I became an Elvis fan. As a young girl, I would watch Sunday afternoon movies on television with my mom and a lot of those movies were Elvis movies. I remember Girl Happy being one of my favorites.  Years later I grew up and moved to Memphis for a few years and spent a lot of time at Elvis’ home Graceland. Happy Birthday Elvis!

Jan2

Can 2012 top 2011?

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Can 2012 top 2011?

2011 was a fantastic year. (read my previous post) I don’t know how 2012 will top it. If the Denver Broncos win the Superbowl, that would help. If I get a job I love, that would help. But more than anything, just living back home in Maryland with my family and friends is sure to make 2012 a great year.

2012 will be the year I publish my book, On the Road with U2, about my travels to the 75 U2 concerts I have been to the past 20 years. I would love the publishing of my book to lead to a job in writing, but it will be great just to have it published and read by fellow U2 fans.

2012 is the year I turn 40. To celebrate this milestone, I am planning a trip to Las Vegas in October with my best friend and our familes. The other trip I have planned for 2012 is to Memphis for the Beale Street Music Festival the first weekend in May, an ongoing tradition of 10 years. I’m very excited I have trips planned to my two favorite cities.

In 2012, I will go to lots of Orioles games, especially on Saturdays when they are wearing their orange jerseys – and whenever Brady Anderson is there. In 2012, I will go to many concerts. It won’t be U2, but hopefully some cool groups will play Baltimore. And at the very least, I can see some great local bands. My two favorite things to do when I’m not home is to go to baseball games and concerts.

In 2012, I will go back to being a vegetarian. I started eating meat again while on the road this summer and just let it continue through the holidays – I love turkey sandwiches. It’s not a health thing. I just feel bad for the animals – guilty for eating them. In 2012, I am going to walk more. Elvis, Cilla and I really need to get back to walking. It won’t be along the Mississippi like in Memphis, but Centennial Lake is nice too. Hopefully eliminating meat again and walking more will get me into a little better shape.

In 2012, I will read more and watch less. I have vowed not to buy any more books until I read all the ones I have – and I have a lot. I tend to stock pile books, buying every memoir written by celebrities and politicians – and now I’m buying the classics. I do the same thing with DVDs – tv show and movies. I guess I’m making sure I have lots to do when I’m alone in my basement, which I love.

If all of this happens, 2012 is sure to be a fantastic year!