I'm subscribed to survey website which sends me surveys to fill out maybe once a week or once every two weeks. It does actually pay, but I qualify so infrequently for the demographics they look for, that I've completed only 3 or 4 full surveys over the last two years for a grand total of $20 in my pocket and some free facial cleansing cloths from what I assume was Dove (unlabeled, but the cloths looks exactly like the Dove ones I buy - score!).
I just finished filling out a survey for Bread X (anonymized because, while I don't remember the terms of service, I'm sure there's something in there about not divulging the survey contents). It was one of the strangest surveys I've taken.
The gist was the bread brand is trying to market directly to women and is feeling out the reaction to putting together a women centric website centered around healthy living. They want you to connect their bread with healthy living.
The survey went on to ask if buying Bread X correlated with some goals women have, like:
- Hiking the Pacific Something Trail
- Getting more fiber in their diet
- Learning how to swing dance
- Learning a new language
- Biking to work three days a week
Maybe I'm just dense, but honestly the only connection to bread I made was getting more fiber. A specific brand of bread doesn't so much correlate to the others (other than very cursorily as a possible part of a healthy diet). Not "I eat Bread X therefore I can learn how to swing dance!"
But here was the best part: one of the last questions was "Are big companies bad for society?", which you were to answer either strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, or strongly agree. What?! I can't answer that question with one of those five choices. There are insane amounts of nuance to answering that question. What they really needed was an "it depends" option.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Ridiculousness
I'm a huge fan of Craigslist. Huge with a capital H.
The free section, the furniture for sale that I could browse all day, the cool apartments I'll never be able to afford and the unintentional (though sometimes intentional) hilarity encapsulated in Missed Connections. But of all of these my favorite is the furniture. Awesome stuff for cheap always wins my heart.
Today I passed a consignment store and decided to stop in, thinking that it was just a physical manifestation of my beloved Furniture For Sale section, though probably much classier considering they had to pay rent and all. But oh no, my friends, the only similarities were the prevalence of scratches and stains on the furniture, sans deep discounts warranted by said scratches and stains.
Today, in the "classy" consignment store were two pieces of Ikea furniture. The first (in bright pink):
Brand New Retail Price: $49.99
Craigslist Used Price: $15-$20
Consignment Price: $49.00
That's right, ladies and gentlemen, a whole $.99 cheaper! But it's a deal because it's all worn in for you. None of that effort usually required to make it seem used and broken in.
Next up:
Brand New Retail Price: $39.99
Craigslist Price: $15
Consignment Price: $49.00
No, your eyes don't deceive you. That lovely, but obviously cheap, chair up there is being sold used for $9.01 more than it sells for brand spanking new.
So, if you're looking for a way to get some cash for random furniture laying around, even if that furniture is stuff you bought on the cheap at Ikea during college, take it on down to a consignment store and you'll get back even more than you originally paid for it.
The free section, the furniture for sale that I could browse all day, the cool apartments I'll never be able to afford and the unintentional (though sometimes intentional) hilarity encapsulated in Missed Connections. But of all of these my favorite is the furniture. Awesome stuff for cheap always wins my heart.
Today I passed a consignment store and decided to stop in, thinking that it was just a physical manifestation of my beloved Furniture For Sale section, though probably much classier considering they had to pay rent and all. But oh no, my friends, the only similarities were the prevalence of scratches and stains on the furniture, sans deep discounts warranted by said scratches and stains.
Today, in the "classy" consignment store were two pieces of Ikea furniture. The first (in bright pink):
Brand New Retail Price: $49.99
Craigslist Used Price: $15-$20
Consignment Price: $49.00
That's right, ladies and gentlemen, a whole $.99 cheaper! But it's a deal because it's all worn in for you. None of that effort usually required to make it seem used and broken in.
Next up:
Brand New Retail Price: $39.99
Craigslist Price: $15
Consignment Price: $49.00
No, your eyes don't deceive you. That lovely, but obviously cheap, chair up there is being sold used for $9.01 more than it sells for brand spanking new.
So, if you're looking for a way to get some cash for random furniture laying around, even if that furniture is stuff you bought on the cheap at Ikea during college, take it on down to a consignment store and you'll get back even more than you originally paid for it.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Trains, Planes, and Automobiles
I flew across the country last weekend to visit my ailing grandmother in South Carolina. It was a bittersweet few days full of decent air travel, awful sleep (partially in bathtubs), much missed family, and my only grandparent left feeling the onset of mortality and divvying up her life possessions.
I was gifted some things I really wanted, was barred from claiming other things I really wanted and spent an entire day sifting through old family photographs (including a couple sweet tintypes of relatives with long forgotten names).
The album I'll be putting together of all these photographs will also be bittersweet. They're my last name's family history, but not really mine. My dad was adopted so though I'm technically related to the people in the photos, they're not my ancestors. Someday, probably after my grandmother passes, I'll hunt down the blood relatives.
On the plane ride home I sat next to a guy who's initial words to me were "I don't let anyone I sit next to wear headphones" as I was pulling my iPod out. He turned out to be right. I didn't put those head phones on once the entire time we were in the air. It turned out that we knew a lot of the same people and his wife was best friends with my ex-step-sister and I had been to his father-in-law's church several times. I don't think I've ever talked the entirety of a plane ride before, but it was great - I barely noticed how long we were in the air.
We were supposed to look each other up on Facebook, but I've since forgotten his last name and his first is way too common to be of any use. I'll chalk him up to being a short-term friend, the kind you don't look up even though you say you will because attempting to extend the relationship beyond the short time you were brought together will just be awkward.
"You'd be surprised at the things I can do."
I was gifted some things I really wanted, was barred from claiming other things I really wanted and spent an entire day sifting through old family photographs (including a couple sweet tintypes of relatives with long forgotten names).
The album I'll be putting together of all these photographs will also be bittersweet. They're my last name's family history, but not really mine. My dad was adopted so though I'm technically related to the people in the photos, they're not my ancestors. Someday, probably after my grandmother passes, I'll hunt down the blood relatives.
On the plane ride home I sat next to a guy who's initial words to me were "I don't let anyone I sit next to wear headphones" as I was pulling my iPod out. He turned out to be right. I didn't put those head phones on once the entire time we were in the air. It turned out that we knew a lot of the same people and his wife was best friends with my ex-step-sister and I had been to his father-in-law's church several times. I don't think I've ever talked the entirety of a plane ride before, but it was great - I barely noticed how long we were in the air.
We were supposed to look each other up on Facebook, but I've since forgotten his last name and his first is way too common to be of any use. I'll chalk him up to being a short-term friend, the kind you don't look up even though you say you will because attempting to extend the relationship beyond the short time you were brought together will just be awkward.
"You'd be surprised at the things I can do."
Thursday, September 25, 2008
I owe someone $10
Ok, so now I owe someone $10 on the "my boss won't do anything for my 2 year anniversary" bet I laid out in my previous post.
I knew exactly what I was getting 10 minutes ago, even though I received it 5 minutes ago.
Why? Because I process the business credit card transactions. About a year ago, my boss spent $50 at Starbucks (a store he never personally goes into). Also about a year ago, I received a $25 gift card. 10 minutes ago I heard him rummaging deep in his desk drawers.
Ta Da!
2 Year Anniversary gift: $25 Starbucks gift card - the other half of that year old Starbucks transaction.
I'm going to go buy myself a grande sugar-free hazelnut extra foam latte.
I knew exactly what I was getting 10 minutes ago, even though I received it 5 minutes ago.
Why? Because I process the business credit card transactions. About a year ago, my boss spent $50 at Starbucks (a store he never personally goes into). Also about a year ago, I received a $25 gift card. 10 minutes ago I heard him rummaging deep in his desk drawers.
Ta Da!
2 Year Anniversary gift: $25 Starbucks gift card - the other half of that year old Starbucks transaction.
I'm going to go buy myself a grande sugar-free hazelnut extra foam latte.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Random Thoughts by Jen Handy
My parents have been separated since I was two and are both now remarried to great people. I often hope that my future spouse has divorced and remarried parents so we can have 4 sets of grandparents as potential FREE babysitters.
My mom says that she'll still be number one grandma, no matter how many extras there are to compete with.
_______________________
Tomorrow is my 2 Year Anniversary at my job. I was only supposed to be here for a year.
I bet anyone $10 that like both my birthday and Assistant's Day, my boss does absolutely nothing to recognize this.
_______________________
I was in three weddings this summer and I survived! It was a long, grueling pace of bridal showers, bachelorette parties, dress purchasings and fittings, shoe buying, hair and makeup be-doneing, rehearsal dinners and ceremonies. I love each person whose wedding I was honored to be a part of but am SO GLAD it's all over. Also, I will happily be a bridesmaid for my loved ones, but refuse to give any more speeches.
My introverted self was stressing out over all the necessary schmoozing and small talking with people I don't know.
_______________________
To end on a Debbie Downer note: my sole remaining grandmother (and the one I was actually close to) is being transferred from her apartment in a retirement center to assisted living. Stay strong geema!
My mom says that she'll still be number one grandma, no matter how many extras there are to compete with.
_______________________
Tomorrow is my 2 Year Anniversary at my job. I was only supposed to be here for a year.
I bet anyone $10 that like both my birthday and Assistant's Day, my boss does absolutely nothing to recognize this.
_______________________
I was in three weddings this summer and I survived! It was a long, grueling pace of bridal showers, bachelorette parties, dress purchasings and fittings, shoe buying, hair and makeup be-doneing, rehearsal dinners and ceremonies. I love each person whose wedding I was honored to be a part of but am SO GLAD it's all over. Also, I will happily be a bridesmaid for my loved ones, but refuse to give any more speeches.
My introverted self was stressing out over all the necessary schmoozing and small talking with people I don't know.
_______________________
To end on a Debbie Downer note: my sole remaining grandmother (and the one I was actually close to) is being transferred from her apartment in a retirement center to assisted living. Stay strong geema!
Friday, September 12, 2008
These are a few of my favorite words:
Indubitably
Sacrosanct
Juxtaposition
Rebuffed
Chiaroscuro
Not for their definitions; solely for the way they roll off the tongue.
Sacrosanct
Juxtaposition
Rebuffed
Chiaroscuro
Not for their definitions; solely for the way they roll off the tongue.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Let Them Eat Cake!
I love cake. Of course I do. I mean, who DOESN'T love cake? That's right: crazy people.
My most recent favorite was definitely Helen's wedding cake. Delicious layers of lemon cake with fresh raspberries sandwiched in between. Just look at this awesomeness:
But what if Helen hadn't hired a REAL professional, with references, and instead let her drunk aunt Mary who claimed to be a professional cake decorator provide her with a cake? It might have gone a little something like this:
Inspiration Cake -
ACTUAL Cake - (requested to be all white w/ green accents but otherwise like above)
Find more of these awesome cake disasters at my new favorite website: http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/
My most recent favorite was definitely Helen's wedding cake. Delicious layers of lemon cake with fresh raspberries sandwiched in between. Just look at this awesomeness:
But what if Helen hadn't hired a REAL professional, with references, and instead let her drunk aunt Mary who claimed to be a professional cake decorator provide her with a cake? It might have gone a little something like this:
Inspiration Cake -
ACTUAL Cake - (requested to be all white w/ green accents but otherwise like above)
Find more of these awesome cake disasters at my new favorite website: http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/
Monday, July 28, 2008
Raddest Weekend Ever
Do you ever have a day or weekend that is just so freaking perfect it puts you on a natural high for days? My weekend was like that. Here's a run down:
Saturday Day: Step-mom's B-day
Saturday was my step-mom's 50th birthday, so my dad went all out on the planning. He rented a white limo and had my two step-sisters, two of my step-mom's friends, and me meet up in the parking lot of the restaurant we would be having dinner at. We all hopped into the limo, poured some champagne and surprised my step-mom at her house. From there all the girls went to lunch at an amazing mexican restaurant right on the coast with gorgeous ocean views and some free flowing pitchers of margaritas. From there we went shopping, which ended up kind of boring for me because I'm brizoke as a joke and we were in Bloomingdales. I couldn't afford anything even with the giant sale they had going. I made good friends with a comfy chair.
We then headed back down to the restaurant for dinner, which was amazing for everyone but me. Amazing because my dad had set up a private dinner in the kitchen of a very delicious restaurant, where the chef cooks in front of you, describes what he's doing, passes around things to taste while he's cooking and creates a four course meal. The whole experience was awesome.
The menu, on the other hand ... everyone who knows me knows that I am a pretty picky eater. I try not to be and I DO try new things, but once I decide that I don't like a food, I don't like it. A few of these big dislikes are: onions, tomatoes, bleu cheese, fish, and bananas. I know, it's a random assortment, but I have an unflinching hate for all of these foods. Now, here's the menu:
1st Course: layers of roasted eggplant, brie, and tomatoes with mixed greens (I had never really eaten eggplant before and it was pretty decent, but not a favorite)
2nd Course: mixed greens, red onion, candied walnuts, cucumbers, and bleu cheese in a vinaigrette (after picking out the onion, cucumbers and bleu cheese this was really good)
3rd Course: grilled halibut with honey mustard glaze, couscous, roasted asparagus and grilled zucchini tossed in garlic butter (I HATE fish, but I did eat the parts that had honey mustard glaze on it - I'm actually really proud of myself for that)
4th Course: bananas foster (I just at the ice cream and the delicious sugary glaze)
It was really just funny by the end. I made no comments and ate some of everything because it really did look delicious, but I was cracking up with each additional course.
Saturday Night: The Antiques
I'm not really sure how to describe my affiliation with this band anymore. Yea, I still do some work for the label and volunteering to work with them was how I met everyone, but everyone feels like genuine friends now. Not BFF friends, we don't get to hang out that often since everyone is pretty scattered, but friends I sincerely enjoy hanging out with. Yet, because of how I met them, I feel kind of obnoxious if I refer to it as a "friend's band", but I'm going to do it anyway.
So, that was a long way of saying that my friend's band was playing an album release show on Saturday night. They played the entire new album from beginning to end and, like usual if you stick around late enough, they broke into an awesome drunken encore. It was just a really great night of hanging out with some hilarious people and listening to some good music.
Sunday Night: John Mayer
Sunday day was pretty mellow - just went to Barnes and Noble, grabbed a hot chocolate and read a magazine (it's like the library, but more updated and with coffee!)
Sunday NIGHT, however, was The Awesome. John Mayer playing at Irvine Meadows (I refuse to call it Verizon Wireless, because that doesn't describe the venue at all). All 2 people who read this blog know how much I geek out on John Mayer, so I'm not going to hide it. I got a pretty good last minute ticket off of a girl on a Mayer messageboard for way under face value, since she was trying to get rid of it and it was just a single seat. First row of Loge. I'll take it.
I don't care what you say about Mayer's singles or his personal life, but the man can put on an INSANE live show and he definitely brought it out last night. There had been complaints earlier in the tour of short sets, but he took this one all the way to the 11pm Meadow's curfew, and possibly a few minutes beyond it depending on the watch. 18 songs, including TWO encores (which he never does. I was on my way out feeling comfortable in the knowledge that I had never heard of him doing a second encore when I realized that the cheering closer to the stage was getting louder instead of dying down and, sure enough, he had come back out for a second encore) AND a brand new song (which he also rarely does nowadays since he has an open taping policy, but dislikes that people's make judgments on a song based on first impressions of something not fully fleshed out ... or something like that. I'm not going to give you the whole quote even though I know it).
I'm still on a high from the show. I think live music can be addicting - I get such a rush from a good live show.
I wish every weekend could be as good as this one.
Saturday Day: Step-mom's B-day
Saturday was my step-mom's 50th birthday, so my dad went all out on the planning. He rented a white limo and had my two step-sisters, two of my step-mom's friends, and me meet up in the parking lot of the restaurant we would be having dinner at. We all hopped into the limo, poured some champagne and surprised my step-mom at her house. From there all the girls went to lunch at an amazing mexican restaurant right on the coast with gorgeous ocean views and some free flowing pitchers of margaritas. From there we went shopping, which ended up kind of boring for me because I'm brizoke as a joke and we were in Bloomingdales. I couldn't afford anything even with the giant sale they had going. I made good friends with a comfy chair.
We then headed back down to the restaurant for dinner, which was amazing for everyone but me. Amazing because my dad had set up a private dinner in the kitchen of a very delicious restaurant, where the chef cooks in front of you, describes what he's doing, passes around things to taste while he's cooking and creates a four course meal. The whole experience was awesome.
The menu, on the other hand ... everyone who knows me knows that I am a pretty picky eater. I try not to be and I DO try new things, but once I decide that I don't like a food, I don't like it. A few of these big dislikes are: onions, tomatoes, bleu cheese, fish, and bananas. I know, it's a random assortment, but I have an unflinching hate for all of these foods. Now, here's the menu:
1st Course: layers of roasted eggplant, brie, and tomatoes with mixed greens (I had never really eaten eggplant before and it was pretty decent, but not a favorite)
2nd Course: mixed greens, red onion, candied walnuts, cucumbers, and bleu cheese in a vinaigrette (after picking out the onion, cucumbers and bleu cheese this was really good)
3rd Course: grilled halibut with honey mustard glaze, couscous, roasted asparagus and grilled zucchini tossed in garlic butter (I HATE fish, but I did eat the parts that had honey mustard glaze on it - I'm actually really proud of myself for that)
4th Course: bananas foster (I just at the ice cream and the delicious sugary glaze)
It was really just funny by the end. I made no comments and ate some of everything because it really did look delicious, but I was cracking up with each additional course.
Saturday Night: The Antiques
I'm not really sure how to describe my affiliation with this band anymore. Yea, I still do some work for the label and volunteering to work with them was how I met everyone, but everyone feels like genuine friends now. Not BFF friends, we don't get to hang out that often since everyone is pretty scattered, but friends I sincerely enjoy hanging out with. Yet, because of how I met them, I feel kind of obnoxious if I refer to it as a "friend's band", but I'm going to do it anyway.
So, that was a long way of saying that my friend's band was playing an album release show on Saturday night. They played the entire new album from beginning to end and, like usual if you stick around late enough, they broke into an awesome drunken encore. It was just a really great night of hanging out with some hilarious people and listening to some good music.
Sunday Night: John Mayer
Sunday day was pretty mellow - just went to Barnes and Noble, grabbed a hot chocolate and read a magazine (it's like the library, but more updated and with coffee!)
Sunday NIGHT, however, was The Awesome. John Mayer playing at Irvine Meadows (I refuse to call it Verizon Wireless, because that doesn't describe the venue at all). All 2 people who read this blog know how much I geek out on John Mayer, so I'm not going to hide it. I got a pretty good last minute ticket off of a girl on a Mayer messageboard for way under face value, since she was trying to get rid of it and it was just a single seat. First row of Loge. I'll take it.
I don't care what you say about Mayer's singles or his personal life, but the man can put on an INSANE live show and he definitely brought it out last night. There had been complaints earlier in the tour of short sets, but he took this one all the way to the 11pm Meadow's curfew, and possibly a few minutes beyond it depending on the watch. 18 songs, including TWO encores (which he never does. I was on my way out feeling comfortable in the knowledge that I had never heard of him doing a second encore when I realized that the cheering closer to the stage was getting louder instead of dying down and, sure enough, he had come back out for a second encore) AND a brand new song (which he also rarely does nowadays since he has an open taping policy, but dislikes that people's make judgments on a song based on first impressions of something not fully fleshed out ... or something like that. I'm not going to give you the whole quote even though I know it).
I'm still on a high from the show. I think live music can be addicting - I get such a rush from a good live show.
I wish every weekend could be as good as this one.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Good Hurt
Do you ever have music hit you - like really hit you; when it feels like the song has managed to reach into your chest and pull your heart right out, not just tugging heartstrings, but completely breaking them, the force of the snap echoing through your limbs, and there it is thumping in front of you to the beat, all exposed and aching, but a good ache, a deep ache you can feel through your body all the way to your toes, and you don't want that feeling to end no matter how much it hurts, so you play the song on repeat, but then you have to take a break from it - maybe for an hour, a few days, a month - depending how just how deep it makes you ache, but you always go back to it, you just can't use it all the time or the ache fades and it's such a fucking good ache you can't bear to let it fade, so you ration yourself in order to guarantee that if you play that song the ache appears.
I love that.
I love that.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Currently Obsessed - Ha Ha Tonka
I stumbled across these guys on MySpace and I keep heading back to their page to listen to the four songs they have up. I haven't bought a CD in awhile, but I'm definitely snagging theirs.
Check out the video for my favorite song of the four:
Check out the video for my favorite song of the four:
Monday, May 26, 2008
Same But Different
My ex boyfriend was in town this weekend. He moved out of state for his job about a year and a half ago, but I haven't seen him in about four years.
So much changes, yet so much stays ridiculously the same.
Other than the "so what have you been doing for the last however long it's been?", it was all very familiar. Too familiar.
I had grown comfortable with someone not being there and then BAM - someone's there again without the messiness and trial and error of learning a new someone. Except now he's in my headspace again and I worked freakin' hard to get him out of there - not an easy task considering he's an editor of a prominent magazine that my dad happens to subscribe to and has laying all over his house.
After dinner we just kind of hung out and cuddled while watching a movie. During that time we communicated more and were more open then we ever were when dating. He's several years older and we started dating when I was 19 - most of the the relationship seemed to have been a battle of who could care less - a battle I constantly lost. Things were said that should have been said a long time ago. It may be after the fact, but it's nice to know I was and have been in his head as much as he's been in mine. Now there's nothing left but a comfortable affection.
I realized that the set up I have with my pillows is just a poor man's attempt to get back there - to that comfiness and closeness.
When he left I said "see you in another four years." He protested and insisted that it won't be that long. It won't ... it will probably be longer.
Oh, and I drove a brand new Porsche 911 GT2. So I have that going for me.
Edited to add:
1) a whole bunch of extra stuff up there.
2) I originally posted this with about 1/3 of what's written above. I mentioned to a friend that I was debating posting something even that personal, but upon a re-read after publishing I realized it was hardly personal or intimate at all. I realized that my entire adult life, like I mentioned above in reference to my relationship, has been a battle of who could care less out some kind of an attempt to save my ego - a battle that I've generally won. Well, fuck that. This shit's getting more personal. You still may think that what's up there isn't that revealing, but I'm pretty uncomfortable posting it, so it's a hell of a lot more personal that my usual M.O. We'll see - I may jump back over my wall, but since blogging is apparently the new (free) therapist, I'll work at it.
So much changes, yet so much stays ridiculously the same.
Other than the "so what have you been doing for the last however long it's been?", it was all very familiar. Too familiar.
I had grown comfortable with someone not being there and then BAM - someone's there again without the messiness and trial and error of learning a new someone. Except now he's in my headspace again and I worked freakin' hard to get him out of there - not an easy task considering he's an editor of a prominent magazine that my dad happens to subscribe to and has laying all over his house.
After dinner we just kind of hung out and cuddled while watching a movie. During that time we communicated more and were more open then we ever were when dating. He's several years older and we started dating when I was 19 - most of the the relationship seemed to have been a battle of who could care less - a battle I constantly lost. Things were said that should have been said a long time ago. It may be after the fact, but it's nice to know I was and have been in his head as much as he's been in mine. Now there's nothing left but a comfortable affection.
I realized that the set up I have with my pillows is just a poor man's attempt to get back there - to that comfiness and closeness.
When he left I said "see you in another four years." He protested and insisted that it won't be that long. It won't ... it will probably be longer.
Oh, and I drove a brand new Porsche 911 GT2. So I have that going for me.
Edited to add:
1) a whole bunch of extra stuff up there.
2) I originally posted this with about 1/3 of what's written above. I mentioned to a friend that I was debating posting something even that personal, but upon a re-read after publishing I realized it was hardly personal or intimate at all. I realized that my entire adult life, like I mentioned above in reference to my relationship, has been a battle of who could care less out some kind of an attempt to save my ego - a battle that I've generally won. Well, fuck that. This shit's getting more personal. You still may think that what's up there isn't that revealing, but I'm pretty uncomfortable posting it, so it's a hell of a lot more personal that my usual M.O. We'll see - I may jump back over my wall, but since blogging is apparently the new (free) therapist, I'll work at it.
"New" Music
I have a 30 GB iPod that's completely full of music. I don't have photographs, TV shows, anything on there other than music.
In the grand scheme of things, that's not a huge amount of music, but I have a bunch of stuff on there that I have never heard. I have probably not listened to about 1/4 of what's stored on there.
So every once in awhile I put my little white bundle of awesome on shuffle and discover some "new" music.
So far today I've found a great David Grey song, a just okay Until June song, rediscovered an unreleased song from one of my favorite artists from back before he was even marginally known, and fell in love with a Damien Rice song I had only cursorily listened to before.
In fact, I think now I'm going to go listen to DR's whole 9 album ...
UPDATE: I love the song so much, I hunted it down on YouTube to share it. Enjoy:
Damien Rice - Elephant
In the grand scheme of things, that's not a huge amount of music, but I have a bunch of stuff on there that I have never heard. I have probably not listened to about 1/4 of what's stored on there.
So every once in awhile I put my little white bundle of awesome on shuffle and discover some "new" music.
So far today I've found a great David Grey song, a just okay Until June song, rediscovered an unreleased song from one of my favorite artists from back before he was even marginally known, and fell in love with a Damien Rice song I had only cursorily listened to before.
In fact, I think now I'm going to go listen to DR's whole 9 album ...
UPDATE: I love the song so much, I hunted it down on YouTube to share it. Enjoy:
Damien Rice - Elephant
Thursday, May 22, 2008
The Little Men In My Head Take Lots of Breaks
I was in the grocery store a couple days ago in the self check out line (which my introverted self LOVES because I don't have to interact with random people or give them an idea of what's going on in my life when I, say, buy chocolate cake and tampons). I was scanning and bagging my items efficiently until I came to a small bag on the bottom of my basket.
It was a fresh produce bag filled with about 10 small, round, green vegetables that I could not think of the name of for the life of me. I must have stared at these little bundles of deliciousness for a full minute, meanwhile scanning and bagging the rest of my groceries.
Finally it came down to just those little green things. I placed them on the scanner, scrolled through a menu of vegetables hoping to jog my memory, but nothing came. Finally I just rung them up as broccoli, hoping the price was similar, tossed them in a grocery bag, paid and left.
Two feet out of the door: BRUSSEL SPROUTS!
Damn, my memory is awful sometimes.
It was a fresh produce bag filled with about 10 small, round, green vegetables that I could not think of the name of for the life of me. I must have stared at these little bundles of deliciousness for a full minute, meanwhile scanning and bagging the rest of my groceries.
Finally it came down to just those little green things. I placed them on the scanner, scrolled through a menu of vegetables hoping to jog my memory, but nothing came. Finally I just rung them up as broccoli, hoping the price was similar, tossed them in a grocery bag, paid and left.
Two feet out of the door: BRUSSEL SPROUTS!
Damn, my memory is awful sometimes.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
An Open Letter to a Douchebag
Dear Douchebag:
Yesterday when I walked into our small apartment community gym and saw you sitting on one of the weight machines, the first thing I noticed was the large and prominent Bluetooth headset sticking out of your ear. I shrugged it off thinking "no way is this guy a big enough douchebag to actually use that thing in the small gym."
I, of course, woefully underestimated your douche level.
Two minutes into my workout you answered a call on your phone, quit your workout and sat on one of the machines, talking and laughing so loudly I could hear you very clearly over my IN EAR iPod headphones that were turned up as high as I could bear. Your loud, forcibly drawn out guffaws made it impossible for me to concentrate and ruined my rhythm and workout.
I waited for your phone call to end, stopped my workout and confronted you. Maybe you remember this exchange:
Me: "Could you please not talk on your phone in here? You're really loud and it's rude."
You: "I get phone calls all the time. I can't help it, it's what I do, you know. People are always calling me."
Me: "Next time someone calls please take it outside. You're really loud and rude."
You: "I can't help it. I get a lot of phone calls."
Me: "Then workout somewhere else! If you're living here I doubt you're important enough to need to take phone calls while you're in here."
It seems by some miracle you managed to not get a phone call for the next 20 minutes, but you DID grunt like you were birthing a baby on that weight machine and consistently let the weights slam down.
Next time I see you in the gym I will speak to management and have them ban the use of cell phones in the gym. Don't think I'm even remotely kidding.
I hate you,
Jen
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Random Thoughts
I love the smell of vitamins - I think it hearkans back to when my mom sold these vitamin pack things when I was a kid. The smell of a bottle of multivitamins just makes me a happy camper, despite the fact that I hardly ever remember to take them.
-------
If you are a server in a restaurant or cafe I frequent at least somewhat often, the quickest way to get me to not come back for awhile is to say "See you tomorrow!" Even though I know I'm fairly predictable, I don't like having it pointed out to me. My freshman year of college in Rhode Island I frequented this cute coffee/sandwich shop on my way to class. One day I forgot my debit card and the cashier said "Don't worry about it, you're in here pretty often, just pay next time." I went in the next day, paid for my drink plus the drink from the day before and didn't go back for two weeks. Hah! I showed them who's predictable!
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There is a major issue plaguing our nation that hasn't yet been addressed. It goes on in every office building across the nation and is a blight on the working landscape. I myself encounter this atrocity several times a day. No, it's not sexual harassment or even cancer causing asbestos, it's these:
Pastel and/or watercolor paintings of landscape, cottages or sailboats. They are the bane of every office existence. In their attempt to be mild and inoffensive they are the exact opposite. They offend and torture my eyes whenever I must pass one in the hallway. There are five (FIVE!!) of varying sizes in the bathroom alone (along with a hideous branch wreath with awful silk flowers poked indiscriminately around its circumference). They make me angry and I have to purposely avoid them with my eyes.
Who likes these paintings?! Who spends their days thinking up and actually creating these monstrosities?! It must be a blind person. There's no way any sane person with fully functioning eyes could find these pleasing or pretty.
Ok, ok, they do have ONE thing going for them - they're marginally better to look at than this:
-------
If you are a server in a restaurant or cafe I frequent at least somewhat often, the quickest way to get me to not come back for awhile is to say "See you tomorrow!" Even though I know I'm fairly predictable, I don't like having it pointed out to me. My freshman year of college in Rhode Island I frequented this cute coffee/sandwich shop on my way to class. One day I forgot my debit card and the cashier said "Don't worry about it, you're in here pretty often, just pay next time." I went in the next day, paid for my drink plus the drink from the day before and didn't go back for two weeks. Hah! I showed them who's predictable!
-------
There is a major issue plaguing our nation that hasn't yet been addressed. It goes on in every office building across the nation and is a blight on the working landscape. I myself encounter this atrocity several times a day. No, it's not sexual harassment or even cancer causing asbestos, it's these:
Pastel and/or watercolor paintings of landscape, cottages or sailboats. They are the bane of every office existence. In their attempt to be mild and inoffensive they are the exact opposite. They offend and torture my eyes whenever I must pass one in the hallway. There are five (FIVE!!) of varying sizes in the bathroom alone (along with a hideous branch wreath with awful silk flowers poked indiscriminately around its circumference). They make me angry and I have to purposely avoid them with my eyes.
Who likes these paintings?! Who spends their days thinking up and actually creating these monstrosities?! It must be a blind person. There's no way any sane person with fully functioning eyes could find these pleasing or pretty.
Ok, ok, they do have ONE thing going for them - they're marginally better to look at than this:
Monday, May 5, 2008
Work It
I've spent the last two hours going through my music and putting together a new workout playlist because I'm bored with the old one and I came to one conclusion: I have too much flippin' music.
Two hours and I'm only to K. Ridonkulous!
Anyway, I thought I'd share my findings with you. Songs have been picked based entirely on their level of Move-It-icity. Move-It-icity is entirely subjective, so you may not find these songs as workout worthy.
Try Again - Aaliyah
If You Want Blood (You've Got It) - AC/DC
This Is Your Night - Amber
Satisfied Alibis - The Antiques
Keep The Car Running - Arcade Fire
Intervention - Arcade Fire
I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys
Your Time Has Come - Audioslave
Taking Care of Business - Bachman Turner Overdrive
The General Specific - Band of Horses
Pump It - Black Eyed Peas
Closer to Free - Bodeans
Honest Mistake - The Bravery
Toxic - Britney Spears
Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
Creepin Up The Backstairs - The Fratellis
Gone Daddy Gone - Gnarls Barkley
If - Janet Jackson
Points of Authority/99 Problems/One Step Closer - Jay-Z/Linkin Park
Let's Get Loud - Jennifer Lopez
A Praise Chorus - Jimmy Eat World
Don't Stop Believing - Journey
Rock Your Body - Justin Timberlake
Back That Thang Up - Juvenile
Golddigger - Kanye West
Touch The Sky - Kanye West
Bombs Over Baghdad - Outkast (this one was in there before I even started with A's)
I'm not sure if this list reveals anything about me other than I put up (and possibly enjoy - I won't admit more than that) with music I wouldn't normally listen to if it is either high energy pop or angry, beat-driven rap.
Two hours and I'm only to K. Ridonkulous!
Anyway, I thought I'd share my findings with you. Songs have been picked based entirely on their level of Move-It-icity. Move-It-icity is entirely subjective, so you may not find these songs as workout worthy.
Try Again - Aaliyah
If You Want Blood (You've Got It) - AC/DC
This Is Your Night - Amber
Satisfied Alibis - The Antiques
Keep The Car Running - Arcade Fire
Intervention - Arcade Fire
I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys
Your Time Has Come - Audioslave
Taking Care of Business - Bachman Turner Overdrive
The General Specific - Band of Horses
Pump It - Black Eyed Peas
Closer to Free - Bodeans
Honest Mistake - The Bravery
Toxic - Britney Spears
Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
Creepin Up The Backstairs - The Fratellis
Gone Daddy Gone - Gnarls Barkley
If - Janet Jackson
Points of Authority/99 Problems/One Step Closer - Jay-Z/Linkin Park
Let's Get Loud - Jennifer Lopez
A Praise Chorus - Jimmy Eat World
Don't Stop Believing - Journey
Rock Your Body - Justin Timberlake
Back That Thang Up - Juvenile
Golddigger - Kanye West
Touch The Sky - Kanye West
Bombs Over Baghdad - Outkast (this one was in there before I even started with A's)
I'm not sure if this list reveals anything about me other than I put up (and possibly enjoy - I won't admit more than that) with music I wouldn't normally listen to if it is either high energy pop or angry, beat-driven rap.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
I'm It.
So, I got tagged by my roommate, who was tagged by our mutual buddy Faithsalutes. Normally I ignore taggings under my stringent "Chain Mail Hate" standards, but since I'm bored and didn't get anything for Administrative Professionals Day despite my boss pimping it all over the calendar and to our clients, I'll do it.
The Rules:
* link to the person that tagged you
* post the rules on your blog
* share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself
* tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs
* let each random person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog
Here they are:
1) My normal body temperature is 97.5F, not 98.7F.
2) As a kid I hated all red foods because I thought they were spicy. Yes, this even included strawberries/watermelon/tomatoes/red apples/etc. This still generally carries over in my food preferences in that I prefer green apples to red, will pick pimientos out of green olives, and hate cherries, but I will eat strawberries and watermelon and non-chunky tomato sauce.
3) I absentmindedly twirl my hair when I'm tired.
4) I only clean when no one's home (i.e., when my roommate leaves for more than a day). I'll do minor cleaning otherwise, but I scrub the house top to bottom when no one's around for awhile.
5) This has tamed a bit, but I must look at my food before I eat it. I usually eat around the outside of all types of sandwiches, leaving the middle (best) for last and while doing this I strategize where the next tastiest bite will be.
6) I've already written about this, but I won't walk in sandals on wet concrete. You can see the full reason here.
Tagging:
Uhm, I don't know anyone who blogs that hasn't already been tagged, so this branch ends with me. Oooohh, the power! It makes me drunk!
The Rules:
* link to the person that tagged you
* post the rules on your blog
* share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself
* tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs
* let each random person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog
Here they are:
1) My normal body temperature is 97.5F, not 98.7F.
2) As a kid I hated all red foods because I thought they were spicy. Yes, this even included strawberries/watermelon/tomatoes/red apples/etc. This still generally carries over in my food preferences in that I prefer green apples to red, will pick pimientos out of green olives, and hate cherries, but I will eat strawberries and watermelon and non-chunky tomato sauce.
3) I absentmindedly twirl my hair when I'm tired.
4) I only clean when no one's home (i.e., when my roommate leaves for more than a day). I'll do minor cleaning otherwise, but I scrub the house top to bottom when no one's around for awhile.
5) This has tamed a bit, but I must look at my food before I eat it. I usually eat around the outside of all types of sandwiches, leaving the middle (best) for last and while doing this I strategize where the next tastiest bite will be.
6) I've already written about this, but I won't walk in sandals on wet concrete. You can see the full reason here.
Tagging:
Uhm, I don't know anyone who blogs that hasn't already been tagged, so this branch ends with me. Oooohh, the power! It makes me drunk!
Monday, April 21, 2008
I recently applied to law school and am now at about week 7 of a 4-6 week response period from when my applications were received. I've been in limbo regarding the trajectory of the next three years of my life and it's been driving me nuts.
I have even been known to recently utter the sentence "I can handle being rejected, I just want to KNOW."
That's a total lie.
Being rejected fucking sucks.
It doesn't matter if you want it just a little or a whole freaking lot, to have someone else decide that you're not good enough is always a punch in the gut and one that I haven't learned to weather well.
The current tally: 1 maybe, 3 no's, 3 dunno's
I always try to be the rejecter in an effort to save my own ego (yes, I know this is generally pretty sucky of me, but at least I admit it), so not having any power over this process is really getting to me.
Eff this ish.
I have even been known to recently utter the sentence "I can handle being rejected, I just want to KNOW."
That's a total lie.
Being rejected fucking sucks.
It doesn't matter if you want it just a little or a whole freaking lot, to have someone else decide that you're not good enough is always a punch in the gut and one that I haven't learned to weather well.
The current tally: 1 maybe, 3 no's, 3 dunno's
I always try to be the rejecter in an effort to save my own ego (yes, I know this is generally pretty sucky of me, but at least I admit it), so not having any power over this process is really getting to me.
Eff this ish.
Mondays
Now that I work full time I feel like I identify with this cartoon and that makes me more sad than you will ever know.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
Music to Reminisce By
I love pulling out old albums I haven't listened to in years and giving them a re-listen. These are invariably albums I was obsessed with, because I didn't buy any albums I only superficially liked (okay, that's kind of a lie because I own Chumbawamba's album Tubthumper, for which there's no excuse other than what must have been some spare cash burning a hole in my pocket).
I just adore the rush of emotion an old, beloved album brings when played. At the moment I'm listening to Matchbox 20's Yourself Or Someone Like You. I bought it in junior high but never took it out of my CD player in the early years of high school. It was so deliciously emo before emo was cool. I recall sitting in front of my dad's huge speakers in our living room in the few hours between when I got out of school and my parents returned home, listening to that CD on repeat and singing along at the top of my lungs with all the conviction I could muster out of my limited life experience. The whole album reminds me of my freshman year of high school - my favorite of the four - meeting new best friends, having crushes that were flirted around but never materialized to anything, insane amounts of access and freedom courtesy of becoming best friends with someone two grades older who could drive and had a car.
And yesterday I was listening to Frou Frou's Details, an album that has the ability to seemingly physically transport me to my first year college apartment. I wouldn't say that I was obsessed with this album, but I listened to it enough that it was the soundtrack to some of my favorite moments from that year - rekindling an old friendship, drinking enough to wonder why my liver stayed in such an abusive relationship, the excitement and difficulty of living on my own for the first time ... I can still picture exactly where I kept the album on my desk.
This has made me realize that I remember my life in album form - I hardly ever just think of individual moments, as great as they might be, they always come in a context of other moments, both good and bad, put together into an experience of a time period - freshman year of high school, first year at college, my last semester before transferring - they aren't specific instances, but rather a collage of moments put together to make a whole, much like, for the really talented artist, a whole album is greater than it's individual songs.
I just adore the rush of emotion an old, beloved album brings when played. At the moment I'm listening to Matchbox 20's Yourself Or Someone Like You. I bought it in junior high but never took it out of my CD player in the early years of high school. It was so deliciously emo before emo was cool. I recall sitting in front of my dad's huge speakers in our living room in the few hours between when I got out of school and my parents returned home, listening to that CD on repeat and singing along at the top of my lungs with all the conviction I could muster out of my limited life experience. The whole album reminds me of my freshman year of high school - my favorite of the four - meeting new best friends, having crushes that were flirted around but never materialized to anything, insane amounts of access and freedom courtesy of becoming best friends with someone two grades older who could drive and had a car.
And yesterday I was listening to Frou Frou's Details, an album that has the ability to seemingly physically transport me to my first year college apartment. I wouldn't say that I was obsessed with this album, but I listened to it enough that it was the soundtrack to some of my favorite moments from that year - rekindling an old friendship, drinking enough to wonder why my liver stayed in such an abusive relationship, the excitement and difficulty of living on my own for the first time ... I can still picture exactly where I kept the album on my desk.
This has made me realize that I remember my life in album form - I hardly ever just think of individual moments, as great as they might be, they always come in a context of other moments, both good and bad, put together into an experience of a time period - freshman year of high school, first year at college, my last semester before transferring - they aren't specific instances, but rather a collage of moments put together to make a whole, much like, for the really talented artist, a whole album is greater than it's individual songs.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Back To The Future
This is a survey. You probably hate reading surveys, but I don't care. It's my blog.
Why don't I care? Because today is a sad day and I'd rather update with a mindless survey than have to put in even the minimal effort a real blog post takes.
Why is it a sad day? 1) Because my roommate hacked her germs all over the apartment this weekend and I can already feel the delicious post-nasal drip irritation that precludes a bad one; and 2) John Mayer tickets go on pre-sale on Thursday and my broke ass can't buy them. If I was an emoticon kind of girl there'd be a huge sad face right about here --> (but I'm not, so there isn't).
HOW MUCH HAVE YOU CHANGED IN 8 YEARS????
Eight years ago ( April 2000 )
1) How old were you? 16
2) Where did you go to school? Dana Hills High School
3) Where did you work? JC Beans
4) Where did you live? With my parents
5) Where did you hang out? Laura's, Vanessa's, the coffeeshop, the mall, and Fridays at Peppino's.
6) Did you wear contacts? Nope
7) Who was your best friends? Laura and Vanessa
8) How many tattoos did you have? None
9) How many piercings did you have? One in each ear
10) Did you drive a car? yes
11) Had you been to a real party? Yep, a real live party full of college aged people.
12) Had you had your heart broken? Nope
13) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorce? Single
14) Any Kids? Nope
***4 years ago(Let's do .... October 2004)***
1) How old were you? 21
2) Where did you go to school? UCLA
3) Where did you work? On homework
4) Where did you live? In an apartment in Westwood
5)Where did you hang out? My apartment, around Westwood, Casa de Republicana, Robyn's dorm, Ashley's dorm
6) Did you wear glasses? Nope
7) Who were your best friend(s)? Robyn, Ashley and Jamie
8) How many tattoos did you have? 0
9) How many piercings did you have? one in each ear
10) What car did you drive? A 2003 Jetta
11) Had your heart broken? In some sense of the word
12) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Single
13) Any Kids? nope
***Today/2008***
1) How old are you? 24
2) Where do you work? At a law firm
3) Where do you live? In Orange County
4) Do you wear glasses? Nope
5) Who is/are your closest friend(s)? Helen, Robyn, Steph, Jake, Rory and Mike
6) Do you talk to your old friends? Some of them, but the number gets lower as the years go by
7) How many piercings do you have? Still just the ears
8) How many tattoos? Still none
9) What kind of car do you have? 2003 VW Jetta
10) Has your heart been broken? In some sense of the word
11) Single/taken/married/divorced? ALWAYS SINGLE (sheeit)
12) Any Children? Nope, thank Lordy.
Why don't I care? Because today is a sad day and I'd rather update with a mindless survey than have to put in even the minimal effort a real blog post takes.
Why is it a sad day? 1) Because my roommate hacked her germs all over the apartment this weekend and I can already feel the delicious post-nasal drip irritation that precludes a bad one; and 2) John Mayer tickets go on pre-sale on Thursday and my broke ass can't buy them. If I was an emoticon kind of girl there'd be a huge sad face right about here --> (but I'm not, so there isn't).
HOW MUCH HAVE YOU CHANGED IN 8 YEARS????
Eight years ago ( April 2000 )
1) How old were you? 16
2) Where did you go to school? Dana Hills High School
3) Where did you work? JC Beans
4) Where did you live? With my parents
5) Where did you hang out? Laura's, Vanessa's, the coffeeshop, the mall, and Fridays at Peppino's.
6) Did you wear contacts? Nope
7) Who was your best friends? Laura and Vanessa
8) How many tattoos did you have? None
9) How many piercings did you have? One in each ear
10) Did you drive a car? yes
11) Had you been to a real party? Yep, a real live party full of college aged people.
12) Had you had your heart broken? Nope
13) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorce? Single
14) Any Kids? Nope
***4 years ago(Let's do .... October 2004)***
1) How old were you? 21
2) Where did you go to school? UCLA
3) Where did you work? On homework
4) Where did you live? In an apartment in Westwood
5)Where did you hang out? My apartment, around Westwood, Casa de Republicana, Robyn's dorm, Ashley's dorm
6) Did you wear glasses? Nope
7) Who were your best friend(s)? Robyn, Ashley and Jamie
8) How many tattoos did you have? 0
9) How many piercings did you have? one in each ear
10) What car did you drive? A 2003 Jetta
11) Had your heart broken? In some sense of the word
12) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Single
13) Any Kids? nope
***Today/2008***
1) How old are you? 24
2) Where do you work? At a law firm
3) Where do you live? In Orange County
4) Do you wear glasses? Nope
5) Who is/are your closest friend(s)? Helen, Robyn, Steph, Jake, Rory and Mike
6) Do you talk to your old friends? Some of them, but the number gets lower as the years go by
7) How many piercings do you have? Still just the ears
8) How many tattoos? Still none
9) What kind of car do you have? 2003 VW Jetta
10) Has your heart been broken? In some sense of the word
11) Single/taken/married/divorced? ALWAYS SINGLE (sheeit)
12) Any Children? Nope, thank Lordy.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Fresh Girl of Orange County
So I've been thinking a lot about fresh, unprocessed foods and the reality of my being wholly unable to cook more than chicken, rice and veggies without an elaborate recipe and how my dinner usually consists of take out or said Foreman grilled chicken, rice from a box and green beans out of a can.
No more, my friends!
Starting April 1 (but not as a joke) I'm going to try a month of unprocessed food. Meaning no fast food, no box rice (even that delicious Zatarain's Red Beans & Rice), no prepared pasta (I'm totally going to try and make some of my own) - basically I'm going to shop solely in the outside edges of the store - fresh fruit and veggies, dairy, cheese and meat.
The only cheat I'm giving myself is condiments and bread, because it's simply not realistic for me to make my own BBQ sauce or bread. That's just not happening. Oh, and beer. I'd give it up for the month, but there's going to be a big party about 5 days into it that I'm not going to sit out on.
Since I'm generally a pretty big procrastinator it'll be interesting to see if I can manage to make it the entire month, but gosh dangit I'm going to try (and though I'm pretty positive my roommate will mock me for starting this, she'll mock me even more if I quit.)
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Want It
I want this sweater something fierce. Wonder Woman was my GIRL when I was a kid.
Unfortunately, it's a one off made by a clever and talented girl and to own it myself I'd have to make it. Based on my previous stint with scarf knitting (evidence of which amounts to only about 1/8 of an actual scarf) this will never happen. Sad face.
If you're more dedicated than I am, you can find the how to here.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Girl Crush
Girl Crush is defined by Urban Dictionary as:
Girl Crush is defined by me as:
I've had various girl crushes on celebrities - Natalie Portman, Mandy Moore - but this weekend I totally developed a girl crush on a real live person I actually kind of know.
I was at my parent's friend's house for Easter brunch, hanging out at the counter in the kitchen eating some delicious eggs benedict, sipping mimosas, stealing way too much of the cheese from the platter directly in front of me, and chatting with some friends when the girl who was soon to become my girl crush sat down wearing the cutest belted navy shirt dress ever.
We were chatting in the group when it came out that she does acting/directing/producing of mostly indie comedy stuff. We started talking about random TV shows we love (Arrested Development), the success of YouTube and its role in the increasing democratization of entertainment media and its parallel for music in MySpace, how the expanding ability to produce quality entertainment on a small budget has allowed comedy to be more organic, less forced, and therefore funnier (okay, by now it was pretty much just me and her talking), how flippin' adorable Jeremy Piven's niece was in The Landlord, and how cool my musical montage idea is (no, for real, she loved it).
By the end of the conversation I felt like I had known her for years - when something funny was said by a third party we glanced at each other to share the humor - and maybe it was because she claimed to really dig my idea and I'm self-centered enough to think a person is awesome because they think I'm awesome, it's more likely that she was just all around a very cool person. Unfortunately, despite how much I would love to be friends with her, I am absolutely awful at broaching the subject of exchanging info to hang out in the future. I blame it on the California mentality of saying "let's hang out soon!" with no intention of ever following up.
I think I'm going to talk my mom into getting her email from our family friend for me...
feelings of admiration and adoration which a girl has for another girl, without wanting to shag said girl. a nonsexual attraction, usually based on veneration at some level.
Girl Crush is defined by me as:
Man, I would love to be friends with her.
I've had various girl crushes on celebrities - Natalie Portman, Mandy Moore - but this weekend I totally developed a girl crush on a real live person I actually kind of know.
I was at my parent's friend's house for Easter brunch, hanging out at the counter in the kitchen eating some delicious eggs benedict, sipping mimosas, stealing way too much of the cheese from the platter directly in front of me, and chatting with some friends when the girl who was soon to become my girl crush sat down wearing the cutest belted navy shirt dress ever.
We were chatting in the group when it came out that she does acting/directing/producing of mostly indie comedy stuff. We started talking about random TV shows we love (Arrested Development), the success of YouTube and its role in the increasing democratization of entertainment media and its parallel for music in MySpace, how the expanding ability to produce quality entertainment on a small budget has allowed comedy to be more organic, less forced, and therefore funnier (okay, by now it was pretty much just me and her talking), how flippin' adorable Jeremy Piven's niece was in The Landlord, and how cool my musical montage idea is (no, for real, she loved it).
By the end of the conversation I felt like I had known her for years - when something funny was said by a third party we glanced at each other to share the humor - and maybe it was because she claimed to really dig my idea and I'm self-centered enough to think a person is awesome because they think I'm awesome, it's more likely that she was just all around a very cool person. Unfortunately, despite how much I would love to be friends with her, I am absolutely awful at broaching the subject of exchanging info to hang out in the future. I blame it on the California mentality of saying "let's hang out soon!" with no intention of ever following up.
I think I'm going to talk my mom into getting her email from our family friend for me...
Friday, March 21, 2008
Pictures
I was looking through some old pictures on my hard drive and I came across this:
This was my room in college. Seriously, how ridiculously sweet was this room? I had a fireplace, a balcony, a TON of natural light, a couch, a coffeetable... The only downsides were my teensy closet and the fact that the kitchen was on the other side of the wall behind my bed.
Other than that it rocked hardcore and I kinda want it back.
This was my room in college. Seriously, how ridiculously sweet was this room? I had a fireplace, a balcony, a TON of natural light, a couch, a coffeetable... The only downsides were my teensy closet and the fact that the kitchen was on the other side of the wall behind my bed.
Other than that it rocked hardcore and I kinda want it back.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Personal Preferences
I know I have some interesting (some would say strange) habits and preferences. For example: I don't like peaches because the fuzz weirds me out, I think baked fruit is gross (fruit is NOT supposed to be warm), and I've had an aversion to red foods since I was a kid and thought all red foods were spicy (I have since come around to eating strawberries, watermelon and cooked tomatoes; raw tomatoes, cherries and pimentos are still on my shit list, though).
My biggest aversion, and the one I think is most justified, is my inability to walk on wet concrete in sandals. I know this is ridiculously specific, but considering how often I wear sandals it's an issue that comes up pretty frequently. I'm also often caught off guard by the weather - it doesn't rain often enough in Southern California to warrant being proactive on this front. Here's why it's completely justified and you people should STOP MAKING FUN OF ME.
List of all major injuries I've had:
- broken left wrist
- broken left ankle
- sprained left ankle (3x)
- fractured left kneecap
- torn meniscus on right knee
Aside from the fact that I obviously really dislike the left side of my body, EVERY SINGLE ONE of those injuries other than the meniscus was due to slipping on wet ground while wearing sandals. The highlights:
Wrist: 1st grade - broken while playing tag just after it stopped raining. Slipped on the ground and skidded into a curb. (Cute side note: despite intense pain I didn't cry until I saw my mom; to this day my mom's the only one I break down in front of)
Ankle: 2004 - slid on wet stairs at the San Diego Zoo while doing research for an anthropology class. I had just finished telling my friend not to jump down the stairs because she'll fall and break her ankle. Two seconds later I (the one holding the hand rail and walking slowly because I was wearing sandals that day) slipped and broke my ankle. Oh, the irony.
Kneecap: 2006 - Slipped on wet tile in UCLA's Ackerman Student Union and came down directly on my kneecap, which swelled to the size of a baseball. Once the lovely people in the Ashe Student Health Center found out this happened on campus (which could be held liable if I was a sue-happy type of person) I received the most prompt and attentive care they were capable of (considering the typical pace is about a week wait to be seen for the flu, which would be over by the time the appointment came around, it was quite speedy).
This issue is so gripping that once in college, when caught on campus in the rain whilst wearing sandals and after realizing I couldn't wait it out, I bought a pair of bright pink Converse (that I couldn't afford) so I'd be able to walk home. The next day I brought those shoes back to campus and stuck them in the locker I had rented in the gym so I would never be stuck on campus in sandals again. Of course, I never needed them, but they were always there as a safety.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Currently Perusing
Did you know that "perusing" means "reading carefully with intent to remember?"
It's okay if you didn't - I think there's a healthy chunk of English speaking people who use it incorrectly, who use it to mean "halfheartedly flipping through" when it actually means the exact opposite.
So, I've been perusing (correct definition) the above book - I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb. Please ignore the giant "Oprah's Book Club" stamped on the front, because it's definitely not why I picked the 920+ page book up.
I first became familiar with Wally Lamb waaaaay back in junior high, when I convinced my mom to buy me She's Come Undone at Costco. I can still remember the moment - I was flipping through the book section and came upon a paperback She's Come Undone, started reading the first few pages and was hooked. But there was a problem - the copious amount of swear words uttered by the embattled young heroine, Delores Price, would never pass the Mom Censor (tm). It took me several minutes to find a single page without a swear word or other inappropriate reference that would have alerted my mother that it wasn't a book she should buy her 13 year old daughter. I succeeded, though, and walked out of Costco with my contraband clutched to my chest for fear my mother might take a second look at a page I hadn't carefully picked.
I took it home and read it cover to cover (without going around the back) in two summer days. I had tried for one, but had been physically unable to keep my eyes open past 3 a.m. Barely 50 pages into the book it became glaringly obvious that it was not a book I should have been reading at that age and I delighted in the maturity of it. I didn't hear a peer reference reading the book until my senior year of high school, certainly a more appropriate age. Even at that moment, I was excited that I had read the book 5 years earlier.
Ok, off She's Come Undone - the gist is that the book made me love Wally Lamb's writing, his ability to create these intricate, often unlikeable characters whom you couldn't help but root for. That's why I picked up the gigantic I Know This Much Is True.
So far it hasn't disappointed. It's a story of twin brothers, Dominick and Thomas Birdsey, one of whom suffers from schizophrenia. It covers the boys childhood under the abusive hands of an overbearing step-father and a meek, weak, and also abused mother. It's told through the voice of the sane brother, Dominick, who has spent his entire life standing as his brother's protector, sometimes giving up the role, sometimes being crushed under its weight, and always bitter over the toll and effect its had on his own life.
I think I've really identified with Dominick and his relationship with his brother. I have a mentally handicapped brother who, while very high functioning - certainly MUCH higher than Thomas Birdsey and not in any way crazy, is still someone I've spent and will spend my entire life protecting. Someone who, once my parents pass away, will be my responsibility to take care of and look after.
When I was younger, and decidedly more selfish, I was bitter about it. Bitter that I spent my childhood defending my brother against the bullies on our street instead of making friends; bitter that I didn't have the ideal older brother who was protective and had cute friends; bitter that I had to assume the "oldest child" caretaker role.
At the point I am in the book, Dominick Birdsey has given up and left his brother to the care of a psychiatric ward. I hope by the end he comes around to where I'm at now because, similar to his brother Thomas, my brother is one of the kindest, most caring and genuine people I've ever met and despite the difficulties we may have and the number of times we butt heads, he's my brother and I love him unconditionally and will always be there to take care of him, because I know he wouldn't hesitate to do the same if the roles were reversed. If Dominick doesn't come around, I'll have to dislike a character I've really grown to enjoy and he'll end up a mediocre man in difficult circumstances. Perhaps that's the character Lamb intended to create, but based on the redemption of Dolores Price by the end of her story, I have a feeling that's not the direction Dominick is heading. I look forward to discovering his resolution.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
I'm An Idea (Wo)Man
I get all my best ideas when I'm lying in bed trying to sleep. There are no exceptions to this rule. I am rarely very clever in daylight hours or while standing or sitting. It just doesn't happen. There's something about laying down in a dark room at the end of a long day that brings them forth.
Of course, as I've previously covered, I also suffer from insomnia. It doesn't help that my best ideas often come when I'm struggling to get to sleep. In my attempts to just. get. some.zzzzzzzz, I'll often refuse to turn on a light and write down what I was thinking, which, of course, results in many, many lost great ideas.
But here's one I didn't lose - it's going to be so awesome:
A romantic movie short made entirely of musical montages in four acts:
1. Meet and Fall In Love
2. Break Up
3. Lonely Walk Through The Park
4. Happily Ever After
I know, I know, but I never said it wasn't going to be cheesy or cliche - it's a movie made entirely of musical montages for fuck's sake.
Each montage is going to be set to a different song off of this album:
Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
It's the perfect album for this project, it's wrought with the entire spectrum of emotion. Dare I say it could be the entire soundtrack to a full length movie ... yes, I do dare.
I really only have two of the sequences mapped out in my head: The Breakup and Lonely Walk Through the Park. Both are pretty intricate single camera moves. The Breakup involves a second story apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side and the camera moves a full 360 rotation around the building, breaking the outside wall. Seriously, this lame ass description does this no justice. It looks AWESOME in my head. As usual, the trick is getting it out of there. After describing it to a camera guy friend, he said it would involve a sound stage painted with tons of green screen, computer mapped out camera movement so the outside of the building could be painted in, and quite a bit of CGI, which altogether will run me about $75k.
Lonely Walk Through the Park is also a complicated single camera move, but he figures it could be done for a cool $10k if we waited for weather instead of making our own (oh yes, there are season changes! Living on the west coast where there are none has made me obsessed).
Sooo ... it's looking like the whole she-bang is going to cost at least a crisp $100k. Who wants to be my backer?
Of course, as I've previously covered, I also suffer from insomnia. It doesn't help that my best ideas often come when I'm struggling to get to sleep. In my attempts to just. get. some.zzzzzzzz, I'll often refuse to turn on a light and write down what I was thinking, which, of course, results in many, many lost great ideas.
But here's one I didn't lose - it's going to be so awesome:
A romantic movie short made entirely of musical montages in four acts:
1. Meet and Fall In Love
2. Break Up
3. Lonely Walk Through The Park
4. Happily Ever After
I know, I know, but I never said it wasn't going to be cheesy or cliche - it's a movie made entirely of musical montages for fuck's sake.
Each montage is going to be set to a different song off of this album:
Band of Horses - Cease to BeginIt's the perfect album for this project, it's wrought with the entire spectrum of emotion. Dare I say it could be the entire soundtrack to a full length movie ... yes, I do dare.
I really only have two of the sequences mapped out in my head: The Breakup and Lonely Walk Through the Park. Both are pretty intricate single camera moves. The Breakup involves a second story apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side and the camera moves a full 360 rotation around the building, breaking the outside wall. Seriously, this lame ass description does this no justice. It looks AWESOME in my head. As usual, the trick is getting it out of there. After describing it to a camera guy friend, he said it would involve a sound stage painted with tons of green screen, computer mapped out camera movement so the outside of the building could be painted in, and quite a bit of CGI, which altogether will run me about $75k.
Lonely Walk Through the Park is also a complicated single camera move, but he figures it could be done for a cool $10k if we waited for weather instead of making our own (oh yes, there are season changes! Living on the west coast where there are none has made me obsessed).
Sooo ... it's looking like the whole she-bang is going to cost at least a crisp $100k. Who wants to be my backer?
Monday, February 25, 2008
Restroom Etiquette
Restroom etiquette is a subject near and dear to my heart. Yes, I know it's kind of an odd subject to be passionate about, but too often people are ignorant of proper bathroom behavior.
Here's the layout of the restroom at my office (courtesy of MS Paint):
I've taken the liberty to label the stalls in order of proper use. Here are the required restroom etiquette rules:
- No. 1 is the restroom closest to the sinks. It is to be used first in deference to any possible handicap person that may need to use the large stall (if you prefer to disregard the needs of the handicapable of our society, feel free to switch numbers 1 and 2). Using restroom No. 1 first allows the next person to have a one-stall barrier between themselves and you. THIS IS ALWAYS PREFERABLE. I cannot stress that enough. Whenever possible, have a one-stall buffer between yourself and anyone else.
- NEVER USE THE MIDDLE STALL FIRST. This is also a must. If you enter the middle stall first, you require the next person in the restroom to use a stall next to you, instead of having the option to have a one-stall barrier. It is very rude to take the middle stall first.
- NEVER TALK TO ANYONE. This rule is slightly breakable if you are very good friends with the other person in the restroom, but it's only to be broken if you are the only people in the restroom. Otherwise, you may say a quick hello if you happen to wash hands at the same time.
Here is how a recent restroom experience broke all those rules:
I walked into the restroom slightly before another woman who works in another office in our building. She said hi and I greeted her back, then moved to enter Stall No. 1. She then asked me how I was doing. I said a quick "pretty well" before closing the stall door. She then entered Stall No. 3, completely disregarding bathroom etiquette rules of at least a one-stall buffer whenever possible. She then continued to talk to me while we were both in stalls! I don't even know how people think this is appropriate. I don't know her, I don't care about her day, especially not enough to discuss it while doing personal business. She continued to talk until we both parted ways in the hallway to our respective offices. She broke all the rules and is forever on my "Do Not Like" list. Avoid copying her horrible manners and, though I can't guarantee you won't make the list for another reason, you at least won't make it due to bad restroom etiquette.
Next week I will give you a primer on proper parking. See you then!
Here's the layout of the restroom at my office (courtesy of MS Paint):
I've taken the liberty to label the stalls in order of proper use. Here are the required restroom etiquette rules:
- No. 1 is the restroom closest to the sinks. It is to be used first in deference to any possible handicap person that may need to use the large stall (if you prefer to disregard the needs of the handicapable of our society, feel free to switch numbers 1 and 2). Using restroom No. 1 first allows the next person to have a one-stall barrier between themselves and you. THIS IS ALWAYS PREFERABLE. I cannot stress that enough. Whenever possible, have a one-stall buffer between yourself and anyone else.
- NEVER USE THE MIDDLE STALL FIRST. This is also a must. If you enter the middle stall first, you require the next person in the restroom to use a stall next to you, instead of having the option to have a one-stall barrier. It is very rude to take the middle stall first.
- NEVER TALK TO ANYONE. This rule is slightly breakable if you are very good friends with the other person in the restroom, but it's only to be broken if you are the only people in the restroom. Otherwise, you may say a quick hello if you happen to wash hands at the same time.
Here is how a recent restroom experience broke all those rules:
I walked into the restroom slightly before another woman who works in another office in our building. She said hi and I greeted her back, then moved to enter Stall No. 1. She then asked me how I was doing. I said a quick "pretty well" before closing the stall door. She then entered Stall No. 3, completely disregarding bathroom etiquette rules of at least a one-stall buffer whenever possible. She then continued to talk to me while we were both in stalls! I don't even know how people think this is appropriate. I don't know her, I don't care about her day, especially not enough to discuss it while doing personal business. She continued to talk until we both parted ways in the hallway to our respective offices. She broke all the rules and is forever on my "Do Not Like" list. Avoid copying her horrible manners and, though I can't guarantee you won't make the list for another reason, you at least won't make it due to bad restroom etiquette.
Next week I will give you a primer on proper parking. See you then!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Nom Nom Nom
Hi, my name is Jen and I used to be addicted to caffeine.
I started working in a coffee shop at the ripe young age of 15. When you're a teenager and forced to be to work at 5 a.m. when you've likely only gotten home a few hours earlier, caffeine becomes your best friend. The moment I walked into work I would pour a cup of (free) coffee and end up sucking down many, many more by the time my shift ended.
This addiction ran strong until a couple months ago. At that point I was sucking down a 16 oz Sugar Free RedBull every morning on my way to work, then drinking Diet Coke with lunch and often dinner. It tasted of deliciousness.
I was also sleeping very, very poorly. Despite my love of sleep, I've never been a great sleeper - I awaken several times, toss and turn throughout the night in search of the cool side of the pillow, and stick my foot in and out from under the covers in an attempt to regulate temperature. The caffeine throughout the day definitely only exacerbated this rough sleep issue.
So a few months ago I decided to cut down and out. I won't lie - I still drink it at least once a week, but I'm doing my best to stop having any caffeine after 4 p.m. and I no longer drink RedBull on my way to work. Typically it's a soda with lunch, but now that I'm brown bagging instead of buying, I rarely bring a soda with me and have switched to water.
Now I'm drinking vats of water - so much water that I feel like I'm jumping up to the bathroom once an hour. In fact, I just stopped writing to go right now (TMI?).
I've noticed slow progress on my sleeping. I'm actually falling asleep earlier.
Who knew Faith was right?
I Stand Corrected
Vampire Weekend is my new music obsession. I seriously cannot get enough of their self-titled album.
It's fun, it's quirky, it has a fucking HARPSICHORD.
From what I've read, they're four ex-Columbia kids (the Ivy League university, not the country [which would be Colombia]) who spice up their east coast prep-school style with Afro-pop influences that's most obvious in the heavy rhythm and drum beats.
Here's an excellent review on Pitchfork.
Vampire Weekend come along like Belle & Sebastian and the Strokes each did, sounding refreshingly laidback and uncomplicated, and with simple set-ups that make good songs sound exceedingly easy. (The result being not "this is mind-blowing," or "this is catchy," but "I have listened to this, straight through, four times a day for the past month".)(emphasis mine)
The bolded portion is entirely accurate - from the moment I got this album I've listened to it non-stop all the way through. It helps that the songs are relatively short, but they're exceedingly catchy and lively - a pleasure to the ear that is almost addicting. You don't want to put it away because it's so spirit raising and infectiously happy.
Bring any baggage you want to this record, and it still returns nothing but warm, airy, low-gimmick pop, peppy, clever, and yes, unpretentious-- four guys who listened to some Afro-pop records, picked up a few nice ideas, and then set about making one of the most refreshing and replayable indie records in recent years.
Mostly this album makes me want to go sailing on a warm day between Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket with my preppy dog and a grosgrain ribbon in my hair while smirking at how pretentious it all is.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Too Cute - Might Faint
I've never really been a dog person. Sure, I enjoy other people's dogs, but I really dislike slobber. That wet, slimy, slick covering over everything that gets within a foot of their mouths ... -shudder-.
Which is why it's odd that I really, really want a Newfie. Unfortunately, they are also the king of the slobbering breeds - hence I will never get a Newfie.
But I might get a little dog just so I can dress them in this collection. How flippin' adorable is that red and white striped sweater?
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
I Could Do This All Day
I stumbled across this challenge. I could seriously sit here all day doing this.
1. Go to the Wikipedia random article page. Whatever the title of the article is, that���������s your band name.
2. Check out random quotations. Go to the very last quote on the page. The last four words of that last quote are your album title.
3. Hit up Flickr���������s ���������interesting photos from the last seven days��������� section. The third picture on the page, no matter what it is, is your album cover.
4. Use Photoshop to combine all these things into something coherent looking. If you don't have photoshop (like me) - MS Paint works pretty well.
Here are my albums:
Gunters Mountain - Hurts the First Time: very, very emo. Songs are without exception about very recent painful breakups or how their father didn't understand that they prefer eyeliner over footballs.
One Dimensional Man - Has Any Survival Value: Cali beach rock - lead singer is tall, gangly man. All with long hair that hasn't been combed in a month, with the exception of the bass player who has stick straight black hair. Has a decent local following, but will never make it out of San Diego.
Potirendaba - by a simple smile: goofy, experimental indie rock. Endlessly amused with themselves that they worked "pot" into their band name.
Runners up:
Whitehorse Star - Another Form of Duty
Levitate - Law of Personal Growth
Frank Ball - Lives We Might Like
1. Go to the Wikipedia random article page. Whatever the title of the article is, that���������s your band name.
2. Check out random quotations. Go to the very last quote on the page. The last four words of that last quote are your album title.
3. Hit up Flickr���������s ���������interesting photos from the last seven days��������� section. The third picture on the page, no matter what it is, is your album cover.
4. Use Photoshop to combine all these things into something coherent looking. If you don't have photoshop (like me) - MS Paint works pretty well.
Here are my albums:
Gunters Mountain - Hurts the First Time: very, very emo. Songs are without exception about very recent painful breakups or how their father didn't understand that they prefer eyeliner over footballs.
One Dimensional Man - Has Any Survival Value: Cali beach rock - lead singer is tall, gangly man. All with long hair that hasn't been combed in a month, with the exception of the bass player who has stick straight black hair. Has a decent local following, but will never make it out of San Diego.
Potirendaba - by a simple smile: goofy, experimental indie rock. Endlessly amused with themselves that they worked "pot" into their band name.
Runners up:
Whitehorse Star - Another Form of Duty
Levitate - Law of Personal Growth
Frank Ball - Lives We Might Like
Monday, January 28, 2008
Rock It Hardcore
I was supposed to help my mom and step-dad move into their revitalized home this weekend. Unfortunately, as apparently all things involving contractors, construction, and houses go, it's not finished on time and got pushed back to next weekend, to the chagrin of my roommate*. So, now that carpet is going in at the end of this week and they move in next weekend, I was invited down for this:
(Poster designed by the lovely Emily Neveau of Calico Horse)
I do random stuff for Calico's record label. I've had a chance to hang out with the everyone several times and they're a really rad bunch (even this guy, who ruins movies and lies a lot) who make me laugh almost non-stop (with the exception of watching depressing documentaries - again the fault of movie ruiner up there).
But that's not really the point of this post.
The point is that I also saw MGMT - who put out what is my new favorite record:
They also put on a seriously awesome live show. With vocals eerily similar to beloved rocker Jack White, tone straight outta ArcadeFire-ville, and energy + chops to convincingly pull it off as their own sound, they put on my favorite set of the year thus far (even if it is only 28 days old).
The similarity to White and AF really struck me while watching them, because it's a sound I didn't initially hear in their studio album. On second and third listen, though - it's definitely there, but their live set accentuated those features.
The album is more full of subtleties - the asian flute inspired opening phrase and bridge of Electric Feel (the rest of which is more 80's synth), the organ build in Future Reflections and Time to Pretend, but out of the entire album, this is my favorite:
I love the distortion, the synth keys, the melody. Any song that can make me automatically start dancing in my chair is a winner in my book - and this song does it in spades. Love.
*Who has seriously been nothing but patient. I'm pretty sure the only reason she hasn't stabbed me in the middle of the night for my cat still being in the apartment is precisely because the cat is in my room and she'd die of allergic reaction in 2.5 seconds upon entering.
(Poster designed by the lovely Emily Neveau of Calico Horse)
I do random stuff for Calico's record label. I've had a chance to hang out with the everyone several times and they're a really rad bunch (even this guy, who ruins movies and lies a lot) who make me laugh almost non-stop (with the exception of watching depressing documentaries - again the fault of movie ruiner up there).
But that's not really the point of this post.
The point is that I also saw MGMT - who put out what is my new favorite record:
They also put on a seriously awesome live show. With vocals eerily similar to beloved rocker Jack White, tone straight outta ArcadeFire-ville, and energy + chops to convincingly pull it off as their own sound, they put on my favorite set of the year thus far (even if it is only 28 days old).
The similarity to White and AF really struck me while watching them, because it's a sound I didn't initially hear in their studio album. On second and third listen, though - it's definitely there, but their live set accentuated those features.
The album is more full of subtleties - the asian flute inspired opening phrase and bridge of Electric Feel (the rest of which is more 80's synth), the organ build in Future Reflections and Time to Pretend, but out of the entire album, this is my favorite:
I love the distortion, the synth keys, the melody. Any song that can make me automatically start dancing in my chair is a winner in my book - and this song does it in spades. Love.
*Who has seriously been nothing but patient. I'm pretty sure the only reason she hasn't stabbed me in the middle of the night for my cat still being in the apartment is precisely because the cat is in my room and she'd die of allergic reaction in 2.5 seconds upon entering.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Say It Isn't So
Can I be real with you?
Can I get down with you? Can we talk mano y mano (which, by the way, means "hand to hand", and not "man to man", although this case would be fingertips to eyeball, or possibly fingertips to voice text reader if a blind person happened to "read" my page [but, to be honest, that's not really the demographic I'm going for - sorry possible blind person])?
I turn 25 in 4 1/2 months and it's fuckin' flipping me out, man! Here's what I get at 25:
- Cheaper car insurance (awesome)
- The ability to rent cars without my parents co-signing (awesome)
- A $478 tax deduction if I'm single without children and make less than $12,750/year (awesome out of something not very awesome)
- TO BE A QUARTER OF A CENTURY OLD (not awesome)
Guess which one I'm focusing on? No, not renting cars, as awesome as that may be - it's the last one.
It means I no longer have any chance to be on one of those "Fabulous and Fierce Under 25" lists in a magazine. IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED, but not anymore. There's no way I can make the several million dollars it requires to make one of those lists in just 4 1/2 months (hmm ... lottery *mental note: start buying lottery tickets*).
25 is also the start of adulthood. Who the hell wants that? Why, oh, why couldn't I have been a successful pop star or actress at a young age so I could make the millions necessary to stunt my emotional growth at the age of whenever I was able to surround myself with yes men and thus be a teenager for life? I blame my parents for not signing me up for singing lessons.
So, this May 31st I will be celebrating the 4th Anniversary of my 21st birthday .... and you can't stop me!
Can I get down with you? Can we talk mano y mano (which, by the way, means "hand to hand", and not "man to man", although this case would be fingertips to eyeball, or possibly fingertips to voice text reader if a blind person happened to "read" my page [but, to be honest, that's not really the demographic I'm going for - sorry possible blind person])?
I turn 25 in 4 1/2 months and it's fuckin' flipping me out, man! Here's what I get at 25:
- Cheaper car insurance (awesome)
- The ability to rent cars without my parents co-signing (awesome)
- A $478 tax deduction if I'm single without children and make less than $12,750/year (awesome out of something not very awesome)
- TO BE A QUARTER OF A CENTURY OLD (not awesome)
Guess which one I'm focusing on? No, not renting cars, as awesome as that may be - it's the last one.
It means I no longer have any chance to be on one of those "Fabulous and Fierce Under 25" lists in a magazine. IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED, but not anymore. There's no way I can make the several million dollars it requires to make one of those lists in just 4 1/2 months (hmm ... lottery *mental note: start buying lottery tickets*).
25 is also the start of adulthood. Who the hell wants that? Why, oh, why couldn't I have been a successful pop star or actress at a young age so I could make the millions necessary to stunt my emotional growth at the age of whenever I was able to surround myself with yes men and thus be a teenager for life? I blame my parents for not signing me up for singing lessons.
So, this May 31st I will be celebrating the 4th Anniversary of my 21st birthday .... and you can't stop me!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Sleeeeeep
I'm currently running on about 10 hours of sleep for the last four days. I randomly get insomnia that makes me want to shoot myself in the face. Basically, it works like this: I'm tired all day and want to crash as soon as I get home, but I know if I go to bed at 6:30 p.m., I'll just be awake at 4 a.m. with nothing to do with myself. If I do decide that I'm tired enough to crash at 6:30 p.m., I'll inevitably wake up 30 minutes later with a light nap under my belt and push back the likelihood of sleeping like a normal person that night even further.
If I decide to not go to sleep when I get home, I'll putz around, make dinner, watch some T.V., play some guitar hero, read my email, read a book, play solitaire on my iPod ... until 1 a.m., when I realize that I've now stayed up way too late. I head to bed, with the knowledge in my head that I can't get enough sleep even for THIS night, much less to catch up on the previous nights.
By the time my head hits the pillow the only thing in my brain is "sleep! Please, for the love of God, let me fall asleep tonight" - which of course is the one thing that makes me unable to sleep. As soon as I feel myself drifting I inevitably think "thank god, sleep's coming" which takes me back to consciousness and pushes sleep further away.
Sometimes, though, I make a compromise between crashing as soon as I get home and accidentally staying up way too late. Last night I attempted to go to bed at 9 p.m. - but was insanely unsuccessful. I think the last time I looked at the clock it was sometime after 1 a.m.
Insomnia - you're a bitch.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Top Twenty Two of 2007
I meant to do this at the end of 2007, or at least within the first few days of 2008, but I've been busy and I got sick, so it's belated, but still valid. Here, in no particular order, are my twenty two favorite songs of 2007.
Why twenty two? Solely because I'm a big fan of alliteration. Why no particular order? Because I'm way too lazy/busy to argue with myself over which ones I like more - they're all awesome.
Oh, and check it - I even put together a nifty little playlist for you, so you can't be all "Oh man, that's a great list, but I'm way too lazy to go hunt down the songs on my own to listen to them." Now you have no excuses!
1. Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye
2. Peter, Bjorn & John - Young Folks
3. The Shins - Phantom Limb
4. Arcade Fire - Intervention
5. Modest Mouse - Dashboard
6. Blonde Redhead - Spring and by Summer Fall
7. Boddicker - Pretty Baby (Part I)
8. Thom Yorke - Videotape
9. Paramore - Misery Business
10. Foo Fighters - The Pretender
11. Foo Fighters - Skin and Bones
12. Plain White T's - Hey There Delilah
13. The Killers - When You Were Young
14. The Fratellis - Flathead
15. Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars
16. Feist - 1234
17. Pepper - Give It Up
18. Mickey Avalon - Jane Fonda
19. Jimmy Eat World - Big Casino
20. Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Follow You Into the Dark
21. The Kooks - Naive
22. Ok Go - Here It Goes Again
This video is too awesome to not include with the song list.
Note: The people that know me well are probably confused that they reached 22 without a mention of John Mayer, but he didn't release anything in 2007, so nothing counts! Actually, that's not true, he released an acoustic EP of songs off his full length album, which I really like, but my favorite songs on the EP don't trump my favorite other songs of 2007 - plus, I couldn't find the acoustic versions for my playlist, so out they went.
Why twenty two? Solely because I'm a big fan of alliteration. Why no particular order? Because I'm way too lazy/busy to argue with myself over which ones I like more - they're all awesome.
Oh, and check it - I even put together a nifty little playlist for you, so you can't be all "Oh man, that's a great list, but I'm way too lazy to go hunt down the songs on my own to listen to them." Now you have no excuses!
1. Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye
2. Peter, Bjorn & John - Young Folks
3. The Shins - Phantom Limb
4. Arcade Fire - Intervention
5. Modest Mouse - Dashboard
6. Blonde Redhead - Spring and by Summer Fall
7. Boddicker - Pretty Baby (Part I)
8. Thom Yorke - Videotape
9. Paramore - Misery Business
10. Foo Fighters - The Pretender
11. Foo Fighters - Skin and Bones
12. Plain White T's - Hey There Delilah
13. The Killers - When You Were Young
14. The Fratellis - Flathead
15. Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars
16. Feist - 1234
17. Pepper - Give It Up
18. Mickey Avalon - Jane Fonda
19. Jimmy Eat World - Big Casino
20. Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Follow You Into the Dark
21. The Kooks - Naive
22. Ok Go - Here It Goes Again
This video is too awesome to not include with the song list.
Note: The people that know me well are probably confused that they reached 22 without a mention of John Mayer, but he didn't release anything in 2007, so nothing counts! Actually, that's not true, he released an acoustic EP of songs off his full length album, which I really like, but my favorite songs on the EP don't trump my favorite other songs of 2007 - plus, I couldn't find the acoustic versions for my playlist, so out they went.
Other People Are Funny
If you live in this country, are alive, have at least basic cable and are under the age of 50 you have probably watched The Office - one of the funniest shows on television (along with Flight of the Conchords and the duo of The Daily Show and Colbert Report). If not, where have you been and why am I friends with you?
The lovely girl up there is Mindy Kaling, who writes for and plays Kelly Kapoor on the show - one of my absolute favorite characters. She has some of the best lines.
She also writes a blog (sporadically updated) on things she buys and loves. Of course, considering she's a writer and actor on an incredibly popular show she has WAY more disposable income than the average person and thus considers things like $150 dresses to be a steal, but she's pretty good at acknowledging the fact that she has a larger disposable income than most and is able to buy frivolous things, so I end up not minding that I can't afford a single thing she's ever blogged about. She's also seriously hilarious and I find myself being able to identify with her - can she please be my friend?
Go check her out, read the archives and giggle your butt off: Things I've Bought That I Love
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Seriously?
Is Jennifer Connolly - one of Hollywood's most gorgeous actresses - really supposed to look like this in what is presumably a ad put into, at least, nationwide circulation? Is that dress supposed to look like it's made from papier mache and impossible to sit down or breathe in?
Is this ad supposed to make me want to wear Balenciaga? Because right now all it does is make me feel itchy and restricted and possibly that wearing Balenciaga makes you need to wash your hair, get some fake bake and take some yoga to loosen up.
Image source: perezhilton.com
I <3 Dave Grohl
Who doesn't, really? Liking Dave Grohl is one of my friendship requirements. You don't have to love him, but you can't hate the man. Why would you? He's an insanely talented musician from two wildly successful bands (you could argue that Kurt Cobain's suicide was actually good for Grohl - it got him out from behind a drum set and into front man position where he shines), yet isn't the least bit pretentious. I, obviously, don't know the man personally, but from what I've heard he's a genuinely nice guy, who's down to earth and loves to have fun.
This interview makes me like him even more: Dave Grohl's Principles for a Happy, Successful Life
My favorite part:
Anybody who has to focus on being real has a problem. It's like having a panic attack over how you're prone to panic attacks. Be a guy. Play music.
Oh, and this part was pretty good too:
I'm nearly 40. The last thing I want to do is wake up with a raging hangover and have to listen to Elmo songs with my daughter.
It's short, just read the whole thing then bask with me in Grohl love. -le sigh-
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