TUNE IN TUESDAY: TO HAVE HEROES LOST IN AMERICA EP

Andy Skib
has a new independent EP out. It came out at midnight and has been climbing the charts ever since. Currently it is #20 on the #iTunes pop charts and #56 overall! So go check it out, you won't be disappointed.

http://itun.es/i6z5Z8

WASHINGTON DC: Rest Day

It might seem, since I decided to return home on the day of the Race for Hope and allowed myself to be duped by a “non spicy” quesadilla at the Potomac again, that I learned nothing from the 2010 trip to Washington DC. This is actually not true; the one lesson I hung onto was the important of resting the night before the Race. That meant, no matter what happened (or what we would miss doing as a result) Saturday absolutely had to be semi relaxing. We set an alarm for 10:30, which compared to the 6:55 alarms we are used to, was like sleeping the day away.

We managed to wake up 15 minutes early, dress, eat, not forget the list of addresses we might want to hit, and get into Washington by, I believe, noon. The one thing we could agree we both absolutely wanted to visit was the SHAKESPEARE GALLERY so we stopped at the Smithsonian castle for directions and a pee and were given a map to help us in case we got confused. It was a bit of a long walk and, much like last year, directions were a tad unclear which led to Lauren and I getting a bit off track and bickering through the streets of DC. If you know us, this probably doesn’t come as a surprise but we did figure out our way and ended up with a more scenic rout, even if it wasn’t the fastest. After Shakespeare, our next intended stop to visit was Constitution Gardens, which were a decent distance away so in the meantime we stopped at two Smithsonians.

Smithsonian American Art Museum

This is actually divided into two buildings, and we choose to view the older pieces to view. We wandered around looking at Renaissance sculptures, Italian period pieces, and split (because we are cheap) an amazing roasted turkey Lunch, with mash potatoes and orzo sides and chocolate milks (because we are apparently five year olds.) However, the best part of the visit had to be the conversation we had with a guard in the photography section. First I must say that every worker in the museum has an attitude problem; not just with us, but we over heard them sassing with other visitors as well. Anyway, so when you enter the Photography Section (which I wouldn’t recommend- it was small and boring) there are big signs that say, “Please no use of phones of cameras in this section.” So I enter, camera in hand, and Good Sir Hates-his-job Von Bitchy says, “Notice the sign,” Lauren reads out loud that there is no use of phones, I don’t look at all, and then we say, “Oh cool but we can take pictures.” The look on his face was priceless as he said, “No ma’ams.”

When we were done we headed over to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, which we visited last year but they update the pop culture section regularly and currently is doing a display on the year 1939 that is plastered with huge headlines, artifacts (like the Ruby Red Slippers from Wizard of Oz,) and every Time Magazine cover from the year. Pretty cool if you ask me.

By late afternoon we made it to the gardens and then headed homeward to eat dinner and get some time in the hot tub. It is easy to call it an early day when you have that to go home to.

WASHINGTON DC: PHOTOS

Washington DC: Hotel Eating

A lot of people, I would think, liked to plan itineraries when they travel somewhere, especially if they are trying to squeeze in as much as possible in a short amount of time. I am not one of these people, however, because I feel like my inability to estimate time and preference to meander would lead to disappointment. I’d rather have fun at one place than continue to rush to get through a schedule. Instead, Lauren and went back and forth mentioning things to do between our estimated arrival in DC and the Cook concert, about 4-5 hours, and settled on “something” as the plan. After 5 hours on a bus, with only a bagel, a cup of coffee, and a bottle of water inside of us by 2:30 it became clear that all we wanted to do was eat. Which is exactly what we did, right after hopping in a cab, checking into the hotel, and picking up race gear; we get distracted easily.

We decided on eating at the Potomac Bar and Grill which, you may recall was located in the hotel lobby last year. We came to this decision for two reasons, the Crown Plaza was located next door to the pickup location and also because of the Happy Hour appetizer menu we had enjoyed so much a year ago. The mouthwatering pulled pork sliders, fried ravioli, and mozzarella sticks were no longer offered so we decided on Potato Skins (not my favorite food but how could you screw that up,) Pot Stickers (they are delicious at Costco,) and Chicken Quesadilla Rolls (which I was told were not as spicy as the Steak Quesadilla and because it meant eating that delicious Guacamole again.) the Potato Skins might have been the greatest that I have ever tasted, but sadly the Pot Stickers were underwhelming. The Quesadilla Rolls were golden brown and crunchy but, unless the steak quesadilla recipe has been changed, the waitress was insane. After a few bites of the extremely spicy filling, Lauren said she was expecting fire to shoot out of her mouth, and though I felt the Guac neutralized it a bit, she quit with 2/3 of them left. Nobody screamed for milk but we did each finish up the meal with the Apple Crumb pie with Vanilla Ice Cream which was even better than last year.

Both Saturday’s Breakfast and Sunday’s dinners were eaten at out hotel, the MARRIOTT COURTYARD in Crystal City, Va. From the sparse breakfast menu we both decided on the French toast which was, as advertised, a generous portion served with strawberries and fresh maple syrup. The syrup was delicious as were the berries but the bread was whole wheat, I would have preferred white bread but the Coffee was Starbucks Verona Bold and that’s all that really mattered. When it came to dinner the next night, we decided to eat burgers there because it seemed all the Crystal City fast food restaurants (and for that matter most of Crystal City) are closed on Sunday. The French fries were okay but the burger patty resembled something from McDonalds and had almost no flavor. I was expecting something not resembling cardboard and if I ever stayed there again (which I definitely would do or recommend others do since aside from no food options the Hotel was lovely, the staff kind, and the hot tub and pool delightful) I will make sure to eat all of my meals somewhere else. I will give the café credit for one thing, the offer Starbucks coffee until 10 or 11 at night, which is important since Crystal City seems to believe people don’t drink coffee in the evening so they close their shops mid afternoon.

Washington DC: Concert for Hope pictures

After seeing so many shows front and center, Lauren and I thought it would be a cool idea to buy seats in the tier so that we would have a different perspective and so we could see the whole band at one time AND NOT BECAUSE IT WOULD BE EASIER FOR LAUREN TO MAKE A VIDEO OF THE SHOW BECAUSE IT IS FARTHER FROM THE SPEAKERS AND EASIER TO HIDE THE CAMERA FROM SECURITY






It was bassist Monty Anderson's birthday the day before so David called him to the front of the stage to present him with a cake and so we could all sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Sadly, he couldn't blow out the candles because they weren't lit and nobody in the band seemed to know how to play the song. Oh well, it is the thought that counts.

Washington DC: David Cook reawakens my Hibernating Soul

You may recall that last year I mentioned that if I were to do one thing different on my trip to Washington DC, it would be staying Saturday to Monday instead of Friday to Sunday because leaving on race day proved to be extremely exhausting. That was the plan. I couldn’t imagine anything that could change my mind; that was until it was announced that the first ever CONCERT FOR HOPE would be Friday night, and would be put on by David Cook. That’s right David Cook; the man I’d jumped through hoops for. The reason for my sleepless mornings, late night cell casts, two trips to Atlantic City, and lowered bank account (just to name a few.) So when it became apparent that I would be able to do the trip to Washington, the first thing that was booked was two tickets to the Warner Theatre- not the bus or the hotel- all other plans were secondary.

As the night loomed closer, I began to worry about seeing Cook for the first time since September 2009. A lot had changed over that time; more importantly it seemed that I had changed. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly or when it started but I was feeling empty, even more overly emotional than usual, and just plain blah for- I couldn’t remember how long. Maybe it was “Every day is exactly the same” syndrome. Possibly there had been a steady decline ever since the car accident/ DJ loss back to back last summer. Perhaps I was just overwhelmed by a winter that literally saw me sick with something or other constantly from the beginning of January right through to the first few weeks of spring. There were a hundred possibilities but one truth stood right in front of me: A trip to Disney World couldn’t fix my SADD so what made me think David could be any different? These fears quickly dissipated Friday morning as I, for better or worse, put all my hope in a change of scenery hoping that it was enough to jump start the endorphins in my brain again.

As the band keyed up the first song of the night, the first song I’d seen live in 20 months, my heart began the familiar pitter patter and my stomach fluttered with delight; by the end of that song I’d forgotten what sad felt like, and by the time Cook bid the room goodnight my face was stuck in a permanent smile and I had experienced the greatest concert of my life. To put this into perspective, the five solo shows I’ve seen Cook do (as well as the IDOLS LIVE show he participated in) were some of the greatest times of my life and this night beat them all. I had seen four songs off of the upcoming album- two of which he’d debuted that night- and the old songs have been retooled and reimagined to be even better than they were before.

The best part is if you couldn’t be there, fans who were have compiled the entire show here.
My birthday may not be until July but I consider Friday April 29th to be the first day of the year after what may well have been the worst year of my life. Thank you to David, who I will never count out again.

USA! USA! USA!

After being chased by US forces for almost a decade, Osama Bin Ladden has been killed.
GOD BLESS AMERICA