25 random things about me

1) My favorite movie is Mean Girls. I will watch it whenever it’s on TV, even though I own the DVD. Boo you whore. (2) The only way I would move North would be to take a job at Penn State. Otherwise, Miami is stuck with me, although I wouldn’t rule out a return to the Dirty D and vicinity, or Washington D.C. (3) One of my biggest pet peeves are girls that dress up for sporting events. Dressing up is defined as one or more of the following: high heels, tanks and halters that you would otherwise wear to a club, dresses and skirts. (4) I am dying to play the Rachael Ray drinking game. Google it. (5) Thanks to Penn State drilling AP Style into my head, it absolutely kills me to see numbers below 10 written in text as the actual number (ex. 9).

(6) I have a girl crush on Blake Lively (i.e. Serena from Gossip Girl). That being said, I will plan my entire Monday around new episodes of GG. (7) If I could, I would wear boy shorts, oversized sweatpants and a tank, 24/7. (8) Without dance, I would die. Since I was laid off in early December I haven’t gone to a hip-hop class and I know for a fact that that is part of the reason I get so down sometimes. Dancing is like a therapy to me and I need it in my life. (9) If I could change one thing about myself overnight it would be to have a tighter and defined stomach. If I could pick one body part to never change, it would be my butt. (10) I would love to take tennis lessons and start playing again. Tennis is a great way to release anger and frustration. Also, I enjoy the short little skirts.

(11) A song that always puts me in a good mood is Streetcorner Symphony by Rob Thomas. I listen to Jessica Simpson and Carrie Underwood when I want to sing in the shower. When I’m angry I like a little Nice To Know You by Incubus. One of my fave songs to get ready to go out to is Buttons by The Pussycat Dolls. Hate Me Now (Diddy & Nas), Come With Me (Diddy) and I Can (Nas) are three songs that push me to work harder while working out. I will never get tired of Shake It Like A Pom Pom by Missy Elliott. (12) In my college days, I used to put my TV on ESPN before I went out in case I brought a dude home to ensure a sick first impression. (13) The economy sucks right now and I try not to complain about being unemployed and broke. I try to tell myself that there are always a ton of people worse off than me, and to be thankful for what I do have and for the people in my life. (14) I hate wearing pants around the house. (15) I would give my right arm for Chinese Kitchen Express or Mad Mex right now.

(16) One time when I was a toddler, I was at the mall with my grandma and father and wanted to ride one of those horses that you put a quarter in. Dad put a quarter in and it didn’t work. My response? “Jesus Christ, they oughta put a sign on it!” Ay dios mio. (17) I will learn Spanish by 2010. (18) I want to be famous so that I can have a personal trainer that forces me to work out. Also meeting other famous people would be cool, and having a ton of money would be OK, too. (19) If I had a time machine I would use it to go back to Penn State so that I could take shots of 99 Berries while playing Quarters at Beaver Hill, dance my ass off at Players with my Whiplash girls and eat Canyon Pizza with a liter of Ranch dressing. (20) I have a secret wish to be on The Bad Girls Club. Keeping Up The Kardashians and Run’s House both profile, in my mind, two of the most entertaining families on the planet. The most ridiculous reality show that I watch has to be Rock of Love Bus. I have never watched an episode of Survivor and don’t plan to. I have cried during The Bachelor. I’m over The Hills. Top Chef is great show even though I don’t know what they are talking about in regards to food and cooking most of the time.

(21) I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. (22) If I could have any celeb boyfriend it would be Taye Diggs or Channing Tatum. (23) If I could play any character in any movie it would be Kate Hudson in How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days. (24) I prefer a beer over a cocktail or glass of wine most days of the week. Beer of choice is Heineken Light, cocktail of choice is Ciroc and tonic and wine of choice is something sweet but not like “perfume water” as my mom refers to Arbor Mist. (25) It would be great if I could form a city with all my family member and friends and then conduct interviews to see who could be invited into the city. Or if I could snap my fingers and be somewhere to be with a family member or friend that needed me. Something like that.

Who is this b*tch?!

Once again I have turned to reality TV for another blog entry. So sue me; you’re reading aren’t you? Hater.

So, here are my thoughts on each of these broads. Enjoy.

Amber B – A bit of a blonde, but she’s pretty normal. I could be friends with her. In last week’s episode she got drunk and had trouble finding her straw while dancing. Happens to me even sober. And all the time when intoxicated. Go on girl.

Quotable: “I’ve got a boy and you don’t, nah nah nah nah-nah nah!”

Amber M – What. A. Dumb. B*tch. The definition of a blonde. Her voice is annoying and most of the other girls want to punch her. I’d be OK with that – my money is on Whitney/Boston to get it done.

Quotable: “I like to get tossed sometimes, but mostly … I just like to get it up.”

K.C./Kayla – I wish she would have left sooner than she did. I’m still not sure which was her real name. When she was in the house the girls got kicked out of every establishment that they went to for fighting, including a restaurant. Once her dress ripped and Tiffany laughed at her (that sh*t was funny) and she responded by leaving the club and taking off ALL her clothes in the limo. Cool.

Quotable: “I’m tired of being the center of attention!”

Sarah – Sarah is the bomb. She’s actually intelligent and always seems to be the voice of reason when fights break out. Also she has some pretty good one-liners. Let’s hang out.

Quotable: “Joey will sleep with anyone with a pulse. And the pulse is optional.”

Tiffany – She’s alright, too. Except for that whole standing on the limo and yelling thing after some black girls supposedly “choked out” the Ambers in the bathroom one night. Hey, at least she had their backs.

Quotable: “Chi-town, b*tch! Believe that! Believe that!”

Whitney/Boston – A little too obsessed with being from Boston. Other than that, she’s cool. Does like to get in fights, though. And I’d probably bet on her winning nine out of 10 fights. I probably wouldn’t even argue about the Yankees with her. She’s a serious bad ass I think.

Quotable: “I’m from Boston! Nobody cries in Boston!”

Ailea – Whiner. And self-admittedly, certifiably crazy. Did I say whiner already? UGH.

Quotable: “I wanna have fun, I wanna kiss boys, and I don’t care if I hurt anyone in the process.”

Ashley – New broad that just moved in. Seems alright. Pretty full of herself, just like the rest of them. Thinks everyone is fighting over being her friend. Get a CLUE.

Quotable: “Everywhere I go everyone just stops and stares at me so I’m used to it.”

Other important players: the pink, glittery, furry house phone; Kevin, Ailea’s 40-year-old boyfriend from online; Greg, Amber M’s ridiculously immature and lame manfriend that still lives with his ex-girlfriend yet sleeps with Amber M; Sarah’s boobs; Chi-town.

And the Oscar goes to … Joey from the Real World!!! Who made a cameo this week!!! And hooked up with Ashley even though she’s “pretty sure he has a girlfriend … Hi Joey’s girlfriend! Sorry!” Quality.

still beautiful

I have always believed
God won't give me more than I can handle
But sometimes when it's so hard
And I'm falling apart
I wonder if I can take this

Hurt I'm going through
But I know no matter what I do

They won't all be sunny days
Life's gonna bring out some rain
But I can restore it
I'll be that much stronger for the pain
So even when I'm sad
I know everyday I have is still beautiful

Still beautiful

There have been times in my life
When all of my skies were blue and were so wide open
But lately all of my dreams seem so out of reach
And everything feels so broken

But it can't last too long
So I'll just keep on holding on

They won't all be sunny days
Life's gonna bring out some rain
But I can restore it
I'll be that much stronger for the pain
So even when I'm sad
I know everyday I have is still beautiful

We're all gonna cry sometimes
We're all gonna hurt sometimes
But it takes the good and the bad
The happy sad to make you feel alive

They won't all be sunny days
Life's gonna bring out some rain
But I can restore it
I'll be that much stronger for the pain



Still Beautiful - Jessica Simpson

Hello hell? It’s me, Maegan.

Tonight I have chosen to profile a few of the sports world’s most unfortunate looking folks. Granted, I have beef with each that is not appearance-related, which will become apparent in each explanation. No worries - I'm ready for my trip to hell; my handbasket is decorated and ready.

First we have Stan Van Gundy, head coach of the Orlando Magic. This man is what prompted this blog topic, as I sit here and watch the Magic/Celtics game. Oh. My. Goodness. On one side of the scorer’s table we have Doc Rivers, looking seriously classy in a suit, button-down and tie. On the other side we have an appearance disaster in Van Gundy – a suit with a nasty gray, um, t-shirt maybe? Mock turtleneck? Does it matter?! Ew. My grandfather called and he wants the mustache he used to sport during his days as a fire fighter back. Too bad they don’t make heels for dudes because you could benefit greatly from them. Also, you could consider making like Dan Marino and getting on board with Nutrisystem. And please give my boyfriend-in-my-mind J.J. Redick the PT he deserves. (Dear J.J., I heart you. Call me. Seriously. Love, Maegan)

Next we have Charlie Weiss, head football coach (maybe?) at Notre Dame. Clearly the guy has appearance issues, as he can barely freaking speak he is so … skinny. As a Penn Stater I’ve never really liked anything having to do with the Fighting Irish, but my true near-hatred for Weiss came while watching the Duke/Notre Dame football game last year. I would personally like to thank ESPN for the extreme close-up of Charlie’s gordo face, which featured a bubble of snot at the tip of his left nostril. I know it’s cold in South Bend and it makes your nose run, but can somebody get this guy a tissue? Maybe the one Brady Quinn used when he said he was going to win a national championship, then didn’t. Or maybe the one Quinn used when he said he was going to win the Heisman Trophy, then didn’t. Ha. (Dear Brady, I guess you’re sort-of cute but you’re whiny and you make stupid statements to the media about things you’re not sure you could achieve. Regards, Maegan)

And finally there is Len Elmore, college basketball commentator for ESPN. I have been saying this for years: the dude looks like Jack Skellington (sp?) from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Yes, the man resembles an animated character that is simply a sack of bones with bad teeth and a bow tie. I’ve never really had any serious beef with ole Len other than that I can’t see him on TV without wanting to sing “But I am Jack! The pumpkin king!” … But, he is a Twerp from Maryland so I guess I don’t like him for that. (Dear Len, I’m sorry to have included you amongst the ranks of Van Nasty and Fat Weiss. Sincerely, Maegan)

PS Taye Diggs is the hottest man alive.

a historical day

I’m not into politics. I’m not registered to vote and I shy away from C-SPAN and all the political stuff on television, during news casts and interviews and “special interruptions.” The most I’ve paid attention to presidents in my lifetime comes down to three things: as a kindergartener reading Weekly Readers I remember the split-photos on the cover; as a high school student I remember the whole Bill Clinton ordeal; and over the past president’s tenure I remember every Hallmark card, Family Guy episode and SNL skit poking fun at George Bush for his speech-giving skills (or lack-there-of).

This 2008 election has made me care, and today has made me care even more. So much in fact that I found myself not only looking forward to the coverage on every channel of this great historical event, something I might normally be annoyed with, but going as far as planning my day around it – going for a run and to the library earlier than normal, and holding off on a shower in order to be a part of this amazing and previously unimaginable in some minds, moment in history.

I have to give a shout-out to my brother, Aaron, here, who has been harping on me constantly to care about politics. He actually called today and left a voicemail saying something along the lines of: “… I was thinking that maybe if you have some time today, you might want to turn on the TV and watch the inauguration. I know it’s not your cup of tea, but it’s a really important part of history and … you might want to turn on your TV.” Little did he know I was a few steps ahead of him.

The first thing I notice about this inauguration is how impeccable this woman senator is. Her name and state affiliation are both escaping me, but what a great speaker and “MC” of sorts for this occasion. She speaks with great pride and dignity and sets the tone for the rest of the ceremony.

Aretha Franklin sings “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” and I begin to tear up. This song has never meant so much to me before today. I sang it every day in elementary school, simply going through the motions because everyone else did, too. Now, it has meaning, like so much else that we discover as we grow up.

Cameras pan across the estimated 1.4 million onlookers positioned on the mall that lies between the Washington Monument and the Capitol to witness this great event first-hand. A white woman holds her small child with tears in her eyes, and next to her is a pair of young, wide-eyed Asian women, listening intently, arms linked together. Cameras from overseas in Kenya and Indonesia show children in classrooms and entire villages coming together to watch this magnificent inauguration. A feed from the African American Library in Fort Lauderdale shows an elderly African American woman, tissues in hand, a hopeful and inspired look on her face.

The invocation that is given is by far the most inspiring and powerful prayer I have ever heard. In ending with the Lord’s Prayer, I am near tears once more. The whole thing was so powerful I don’t remember much of what was said.

Another outstanding musical performance followed, and preceded the swearing in of our country’s new administration.

He is President of the United States.

Countless red, white and blue flags wave with chants of “O-bam-A!” abounding through our nation’s capitol. Happy tears fall, hopeful smiles appear and as I sit in my Miami Beach apartment, I hear celebrations and clapping and I can feel the difference in this day.

The President’s speech cannot be put into words and cannot be duplicated by any article or blog or political analyst’s thoughts. All in all, a perfect address was given by a respectful yet demanding, hopeful but realistic, and strong but compassionate man.

A poem by a friend of the President’s, Elizabeth Alexander follows the speech and next is the Benediction from Rev. Joseph E. Lowery – a man, who has said that he thought he would never see this day come.

“Yes, we can work together to achieve a more perfect union.”

The National Anthem closes the ceremony and the image of the flag fading into a live picture of our new President and First Lady, both singing proudly, sticks in my mind as one of the most memorable images in U.S. history.

It’s a small thing to some I guess to reschedule something as simple as a run, especially when you’re unemployed, but to me, it’s a new beginning for America, and for myself.

“What a moment for the man, and what a moment for the country.”

Lyrics of the moment – Friday, January 16, 2009

“Lessons Learned”
Carrie Underwood


“… but it don’t really matter, when life gets that much harder, it makes you that much stronger …”

“ … for every change life has thrown me, I’m thankful for every break in my heart, I’m grateful for every start, some pages turned, some bridges burned, but there were lessons learned …”

“… but it don’t make no difference, the past can’t be rewritten, you get the life you’re given …”

“ … and all the things that break you, are the things that make you strong, you can’t change the past, cuz it’s over ….

just a typical thursday afternoon for the unemployed

As I sit in my studio apartment, unemployed and in the middle of a Keeping Up With the Kardashians marathon courtesy of E!, I’ve decided to kick off my first ever blog by coming up with six reasons to watch this reality show debacle. In my defense, as I should be applying for jobs right now and being productive with my pathetic self, the Internet is down in my building therefore limiting my options with that. And so, onto things that really matter …

Top Six Reasons To Tune Into Every Keeping Up With the Kardashians marathon:

Number 6 – Khloe-isms: “Smell ya later.” “You jealous psycho bitch.” The time she found a homeless man and brought him home – then had him bathe in Kris’ bathroom. All her cracks about Kim’s ass. “Kourtney and I are strong queens.” The whole Bentley/Colorado trip debacle. “I need a drink.” “Shut the BEEP up.” Khloe, when can we hang out? Serio.

Number 5 – Kendall and Kylie. They suckered Kris into getting a dog then managed to hide it from Bruce for a while; Kendall made a profit from hiring a Mexican man to do her chores which Bruce was paying her for; and one or both of them was caught doing a great impersonation of Kim in front of the mirror, which may have occurred before or after Kylie ran around her room lifting her shirt up yelling “Woo!” over and over again.

Number 4 – Bruce and Kris’ desire to be hip. Case in point, for Bruce: the remote control helicopter obsession, and the conversations with Kris regarding his hair (“Honey what do you think - bangs or no bangs? Do you like it slicked back like this?”). And for Kris: her tryout for a dance team which resulted in a screwed up knee, and the time she went out with her friend Ellen and got Kylie and Kendall’s names tattooed on her lower back because at the time she was mad at Khloe, Kourtney and Kim.

Number 3 – “And I work out all the time, but I still have some cellulite on my ass …”

Number 2 – To wonder out loud over and over, how Steve landed Kourtney. Steve is a creeper and in no way is cute enough to have Kourtney on his arm. Specifically in the episode when the family takes a trip to Colorado and he gets on the plane looking like he’s about to appear in Grease as Kinicky – the hair is gelled and slicked back much like Bruce’s actually, and what is with the leather jacket bro?! Also, his comments regarding the Hummer rentals and humdingers, were wildly inappropriate and just really not funny at all. I guess he does have to put up with her voice and the way she draaaaaws ouutttt everyyy wooooord.

Number 1 – The chance that Brody Jenner could make a shirtless cameo at any time.