The Song

You might notice various lists on the right side of my blog - lists of the books I'm currently reading, the DVDs I'm currently watching and the cds I'm currently listening to. I've added a new category called "The Song." Many of you who know me, know that I'm the kind of person who gets a new toy, plays with it incessantly and then get bored with it and then moves on to the next thing. I do this quite often with songs. For the last 15 years or so (probably longer than that) there is always one song that I'm really obsessed with and I'll play it on repeat. Not only that but I'll learn all the words and then belt it out in the car. My sister and my parents had to deal with this for years. They had to listen to "Beat It" or "That's the Way Love Goes" or "This is How We Do It" or "Can't Touch This" over and over and over until I got sick of it and didn't want to hear it again.

I don't know how some people put up with it. I remember a year ago, I became obsessed with "La Tortura" by Shakira and one night, poor Crystal had to hear it on repeat while we got ready, and then while we drove (in her car, I might add) to the bar and then on the way back (with 4 boys in the car). I don't know why she didn't throw the CD out the window. Probably because she knew I would jump out and run after it.

Anyways, since the advent of iPods and me driving around alone in my car, I usually obsess on my own, with no audience so I thought I would keep you guys updated on my latest song obsessions. In trying to recall some previous obsessions, I came up with:

"Layla" (original) by Eric Clapton (I think Matt had to deal with this one)
"La Tortura" by Shakira (as referenced above)
"U + Ur Hand" by Pink
"Juicy" by Notorious BIG
"Queen of the Night" by Whitney Houston
"PYT" by Michael Jackson - this one never really goes away but every so often, I will play it over and over
"A Whole New World" by Aladdin and Jasmine (not to be confused with the one sung by real people)
"Southern Man" by Neil Young
"Piece of My Heart" (the Faith Hill version, NOT Janis Joplin)
"Money Aint a Thing" by Jay Z
"Any Man of Mine" by Shania Twain
"Walk Through the Fire" from the Buffy Musical
"Livin on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
"Dreamlover" by Mariah Carey

Last week it was "Because the Night" by Patti Smith and now its "Who Knew" by Pink. I think that by the start of next week I'll have a new one.

Dude, Where's My Car?

I haven't seen my car since Monday afternoon. I found a street about 4 blocks away where you don't need a DC permit to park. So, I parked there on Monday and haven't been back since. Not sure if that's smart but am I seriously supposed to walk 4 blocks after the long days I've been having (got home at 8:30 last night and 9:15 tonight) just to check on my car? I am a little unnerved that I haven't seen it but I'm sure its ok - its not like I parked in SE, its parked in front of a multi-million dollar home.

In other news, there was an article in today's post about construction at the Smithsonian. "Raising the Roof: Smithsonian Celebrates Construction of Gigantic Glass Ceiling" Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks that's hilarious?!

NFL Hottie and Hot Dogs...

Actually just one winner - Brett Favre. I didn't realize how hard it would be to tally the results and I'm just too exhausted from my first day at the new job to figure out who should be ranked where. But based on the handful of responses I received, Mr. Favre gets the #1 spot. He was ranked the most often and ranked higher than most of the others. Honorable mentions go to Tom Brady, Jason Taylor and Reggie Bush.

In other news - there is a hot dog stand right by my new office building. Actually, there's about 3. I discovered them when I had to go into the city last week to get my picture taken for my ID badge. Getting the photo taken only took about 4 minutes and I didn't want to just go home so I stopped at the stand and bought a hot dog. The nice lady who runs the stand kept calling me "baby" and asked what I wanted on my hot dog. I told, her, paid my buck-fifty and ate it as I walked through the city. I've always wanted to be one of those city girls who has a cool job and has a hot dog stand where I can just ask for the "usual" and they'll know how to fix it up for me. My new goal is to visit the same stand so often that eventually she'll know my face and know how I like my hot dogs. It'll be a cold, winter day and I'll show up in my boots and cute winter coat, blackberry attached to my waist and I'll go up to the stand and the woman will say "hey baby! You want the usual?" And I'll just smile and nod and she'll hand me a hot dog with mustard and ketchup and relish. She'll ask me how my day is going and I'll respond with some clever old adage like "oh you know how it is - another day, another dollar..." and she'll agree and say "don't I know it!"

I'm giving myself till Christmas.

NFL's Hottest

I'm trying to figure out who the NFL's best looking players are. Week after week, I read ESPN articles that rank teams based on offenses and defenses; they rank players based on completion rates and total rushing yards, etc. While I realize how important all those stats and rankings are, I'm also curious about who the hottest players are. But, as Heather pointed out, I'm not the best judge since my taste in men is a bit suspect so I need your help. Rank the top 10 of the following candidates and email me at aneesadin@gmail.com (or just leave a comment on this blog) with your picks. I'm going to post the results some time next week. And fellas, I know this isn't really your cup of tea but your input would be greatly appreciated. Also, if you feel I've missed someone, then just write him in. Enjoy :)

Name: Tom Brady, #12
Position: Quarterback
Team: New England Patriots




Name: Peyton Manning, #18
Position: Quarterback
Team: Indianapolis Colts




Name: Jason Taylor, #99
Position: Defensive End
Team: Miami Dolphins





Name: Brett Favre, #4
Position: Quarterback
Team: Green Bay Packers





Name: Jevon Kearse, #93
Position: Defensive End
Team: Philadelphia Eagles




Name: Eli Manning, #10
Position: Quarterback
Team: New York Giants




Name: Terrell Owens, #81
Position: Wide Receiver
Team: Dallas Cowboys






Name: Brady Quinn, #10
Position: Quarterback
Team: Cleveland Browns




Name: Matt Leinart, #7
Position: Quarterback
Team: Arizona Cardinals




Name: Lito Sheppard, #26
Position: Cornerback
Team: Philadelphia Eagles




Name: Tony Romo, #9
Position: Quarterback
Team: Dallas Cowboys






Name: Tedy Bruschi, #54
Position: Linebacker
Team: New England Patriots





Name: Brian Urlacher, #54
Position: Linebacker
Team: Chicago Bears




Name: Reggie Bush, #25
Position: Running Back
Team: New Orleans Saints

An Event 15 Years in the Making...

So, as many people already know, I'm crazy about Troy Aikman. I've been crazy about him since I was about 9 years old. I grew up watching him on TV and I guess you could say he was my childhood hero. I had my entire bedroom covered in Dallas Cowboys gear - I had my mom make me a duvet, pillow cases, and curtains. I bought a blue Troy Aikman jersey that I proudly wore to school, even on Mondays after the Cowboys lost.

I was so inspired by Aikman's performance in the 1994 NFC Championship game (they lost) that I wrote him a fan letter. I vividly remember being so inspired by the fact that Aikman didn't give up and I think I saw him encouraging the rest of the team to play hard. I think it was in that instant, when I fell in love. Yes, a complete school girl crush. I convinced my dad (an avid Redskins fan) that I HAD to write to Troy and tell him how he had inspired me. Some how, Dad found me the address and I remember laying on my stomach in front of the TV, writing out my letter to Troy. And everything I wrote to him was true - as a little girl and then as a teenager, any time things got hard, I always thought of Troy Aikman and his ability to stay in the game and play as hard as he could, no matter how bad they were losing.

Trust me, I realize how dorky that sounded but its totally true. I guess my crush on Troy Aikman wasn't the same as a crush a teenage girl would have on a normal star - I feel like there's more to it than just that. Anyways, now that Mr. Aikman is up in the announcer's booth, I've decided that I should really try to meet him. Every now and then, he announces Redskins games here in DC. That means that at some point, we will be within a few miles of each other and I have a chance of running into him. I'm going to start practicing what I'll say to him when I get to shake his hand. Not that I haven't been rehearsing for 15 years ;)