Get To Know Me
Here’s a little more info about me. By the way, if you want to drop me a line, you can email me at: team.mander@live.com
Want to help me reach my goals? Donate a little to one of my two funds below–hey, a dollar here and there equals a new book! 
My Book Fund My Travel Fund
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Where I Live: Los Angeles, CA
Sign: Virgo
Pet: Holland Dwarf bunny named Percy Bysshe Shelley
Favorite Food: Cheesecake
Favorite Song: D’yer Maker by Led Zeppelin
Favorite Color: Pink
Favorite Shoes: Knee High Black Leather High-Heeled Boots
Favorite Film: Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day
Collect: Hummingbirds, Stationery, Books, Shoes, Scarves
Favorite Sports Team: New York Jets
Favorite TV Show: The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson & The Travel Channel’s Passport to Europe with Samantha Brown
Favorite Book: Persuasion by Jane Austen
Music of The Moment: “Right as Rain” by Adele, “I Turn My Camera On” by Spoon, “The Sun Will Rise” by Brendan James, “Collide” by Howie Day, “All You Are” by Above Envy, “Bitter Heart” by Zee Avi, “Dreamsome” by Shelby Lynne, “Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls
Favorite Season: Autumn
Favorite Word: Serendipity
Favorite Pastime: Cooking for Friends (entertaining) and Going to the Movies
Favorite Hospital Food: Tuna Melts and Mac ‘n Cheese
Favorite Jamba Juice Drink: Aloha Pineapple
Favorite Magazines: TIME, Martha Stewart Living, and Harper’s Bazaar
Favorite Music: Classic Rock, Standards
Favorite Scent: DKNY’s Be Delicious, Sweet Temptation from Victoria’s Secret
Fondest Wish: To Tour Europe for an Entire Summer
Biggest Dream: To be a professor of English Literature at Columbia University (or at least meet one)
An Educated Mind…For All!
I’ve always believed myself to be compassionate, altruistic, well-mannered, friendly, vivacious and eternally optimistic (sound familiar, Twitterverse? 
) I’ve admired those qualities in myself and tried to live up to the standards I have set for myself. There is an attribute that I prize highly above all the rest–my mind and its innate intelligence. OK, so perhaps I am not a member of MENSA (yet), but I have always done extremely well in school and really thrive in a classroom environment. This might be why I decided to become a teacher.
A few years ago, at the age of 23, I was diagnosed with a disabling illness that affects my lungs. I was still in University at the time, working toward becoming a teacher. Due to my frequent hospitalizations, I wasn’t able to continue. There ended my formal education.
I have since attempted to return to school several times, tried everything from online schools, to correspondence schools, to technical/trade schools that felt as challenging as kindergarten. My illness has been my adversary every time, succeeding in ousting me from even the most menial career education.
It’s somewhat embarrassing to share this with the world. By looking at me, you would never guess that I battle an illness. I have never looked for anyone’s pity, but have rather done my best to earn their respect, so my personal issues are not something I have readily shared with the world in the past. Having done alright in the business arena, with many responsible positions, people assume that I have more titles than I really do. Whatever education I have attained beyond my years of college have been the result of my own personal study.
I am not satisfied. I have decided that this incomplete education ends now. I have looked for years for a program that would allow me to learn even if I had to be in the hospital at times. Guess what? No luck yet. So, I have decided to take the reins in my own life, educating myself because no one seems to want to do it! Maybe I won’t receive a fancy degree or certificate, but I will get what I prize above all else–a more learned mind.
I am hoping this endeavor will help me to keep reaching for excellence within myself, to gain wisdom to live what’s left of my life to its full extent, and to help me leave a lasting legacy for those who find themselves in a similar position. I am determined to make a purposeful life from the wreckage, find a way around the obstacles that stand between me and further education, and to share with the world what I learn along the way.
As long as my mind is alert and capable, I have the right to learn. That is my ultimate wish for myself and for others like me–to learn until the end.
