This is my musical quilt from last.fm, a website that automatically keeps track of every song that I listen to. If you have a last.fm account, add me as a friend!

hood-rat = “a punk, brat, trouble maker, bad up bringing.”

Today I got my first pedicure. I don’t know if any of you all have seen my feet recently but I really needed it. There is no way I can take proper care of my size 14 boats. I think the Vietnamese ladies were laughing at my webbed toes though. Nah, they were very professional and didn’t offer me one of these afterwards.

I went to go see Amy Grant in Meridian, MS tonight. Here is my review about the concert:

Amy Grant’s concert was awesome tonight! It was in a very small, quaint theater in Meridian, MS. It was so small that every seat in the house was a good seat. Amy started the show with “My Father’s Eyes” with just her on the guitar. Then she brought in the band and did “Takes a Little Time.” Amy said this was the first time she had been with her band in six months. The best part about the night is that she played a whole bunch of new songs. She said some of them were being played the first time for a ticketed concert (I got to hear her new songs before most other people! How awesome is that?!) Here is a list of the new songs she played:

1. “Goodbye Two Boys, Hello One Man” - After attending a funeral for one of her son’s young friends, Amy was inspired to write this song.

2. “If I Could Hear What the Angels Hear” - Amy wrote this on her back porch.

3. “True Love” - A beautiful song about her relationship with Vince.

4. “Threaten Me With Heaven” - A song about her children’s grandfather, Terry Chapman, who has been very sick lately. After going through one of several blood tests with many negative results, Amy asked him how he was doing. He said “I’ll be fine. What are they going to do? Threaten me with Heaven?”

5. “Be Still” - Amy told us as a child she was very bored which is what got her into songwriting.  However, nowadays she notices that her children and others are so busy with activities, internet, cell phones that we hardly take the time to notice God.  This song is about being still before God amongst the panic of life.

The other really cool part about the concert was that Amy took requests from the audience about what songs to play. About half of the songs she did were requests from the audience. The first lady yelled out “Mimi’s House” so Amy played that with only a few errors as she tried to remember all the chords.   She also sang “Old Man’s Rubble” by request which was pretty cool.  Somebody yelled out “Love of Another Kind” but Amy told them she couldn’t since it’s been too long since she’s played that. Unfortunately, a lot of people yelled out her common songs that I have already seen her sing live on her DVD’s like “Lucky One” and “Baby Baby.” I yelled out “Find a Way” but she either didn’t hear me or didn’t want to play that song. lol What does she have against her Unguarded album??

Oh, another cool surprise was that she sang “The Power.” She said that Cher recorded this song after Amy had already recorded it so she fantasizes that maybe Cher has listened to one of her albums. Amy said she used to stalk Cher when she was 15 and would put all her magazine clippings in a scrapbook. haha

Amy closed with “El Shaddai” and “I Will Remember You.
” It was an amazing night!

Today I ate some asparagus for dinner and about two hours later I went to take a piss. While I was draining the vein I thought I smelled something rotten in the bathroom. I looked around but didn’t find anything. Then I remembered someone saying a few months ago that asparagus makes your pee smell bad. And it does indeed. So I ran to my laptop to figure out why this happens. Asparagus contains a sulfur compound called mercaptan. It breaks down and releases that smell while in your digestive system. But this is the most interesting part I learned: Not everyone has the enzyme that breaks down mercaptan. In one study in Britain, only about half of the people contained the enzyme and had a foul odor after urinating. Well I definitely know now that I have it. Do you? Eat some asparagus, go to the bathroom, and leave me a comment!

Okay, so last month I was getting a lot of mean comments on one of the music videos I uploaded on my “Christian Music” youtube account. Today I figured out why:

Best Week Ever tears my shared video to shreds.

So I’m a Twila Paris fan and she has some cheesy videos. Big deal!! lol They didn’t have to be so mean! Here is my prized photo of me and Twila Paris in 1998. Don’t laugh at my hair!

Well I have had some minor improvements in the following areas that I would like to tell you guys about:

Body - I have lost 16lbs since January! I’m able to fit into my old pants which is a really cool feeling. Feels like I have new clothes. How did I do it? Well, I’ve been going to the gym 4x a week and watching my caloric intake. The old fashioned way works!

Mind - I’m almost finished with my last semester of school before I enter Nursing school in the Fall. I’ve been doing pretty well making all A’s and B’s on my tests. I’ve almost got everything turned in for Nursing school. I learned CPR and got all my vaccines and letters of reference. Now I just have to write a good resume and essay. Let’s pray the scholarships pour in!

Soul - God has really been talking to my heart lately ever since I was at a memorial service for a friend that passed away and after I watched this movie about how God accepts all who love Him - even homosexuals. As a teen I really concentrated on my relationship with God but in my later 20’s I kinda steered away from Him. I’m trying to build that relationship back up now.

This picture is proof that I am a tall freak.

Looking Down

I’ve been thinking a lot about death lately. I have had a friend pass away not long ago and a lot of my co-workers have recently lost a loved one also. So it seems to be a constant theme around me nowadays. I recently went to a memorial service in honor of my friend Dean who passed away earlier this year and so many wonderful things were said about him. They weren’t just saying those nice things about him because he was dead either. He really and truly lived a honorable and respectful life. He loved people and made each person that he talked to feel special and valuable. There wasn’t one bad thing people could say about him if they tried. So I got to thinking. What if I were to die today? What kinds of things would people say about me? I haven’t lived a perfect life. I have been known to gossip and spread rumors on many occasion. I definitely have a perverted and twisted sense of humor, which may not always be a bad thing, but what good things could they say about me? They might say I’m usually a happy person and always thrive to make people laugh, (even if they are bad jokes sometimes). Have I done anything that God would be proud of? Lord knows I’ve committed my share of sins. I feel like I could be doing more out there in this world. Sure, on occasion I volunteer my Spanish skills at various clinics around my area - but is that enough? With a full-time job AND going to school I could say I just don’t have the time but is that a good enough excuse in God’s eyes? I know His grace is there and he forgives us when we don’t do what he expects but I would love to hear him say to me when I meet him “Job well done.” These are just some things I have been thinking about lately. Good things can come from being around death and I believe being inspired by someone’s life and raising questions about our own life are just a few reasons God probably puts us near it.

Here is a message from Ellen Degeneres talking about a gay hate crime that happened to an 8th grader by his fellow classmate. This is a sad tragic event and Ellen sends out a positive message for change that we all need to hear.