we be fishin', yo

Gollum Raps.

Posted by jennj at 10:50 AM | Comments (0)

unfortunate choice of title

Oh my. Not the best title for an article about retail success on Thanksgiving weekend, considering that a woman was trampled at the opening of a Wal-Mart store on Friday.....

"Walmart Kicks Things Off" - cnn.com

Posted by jennj at 09:20 AM | Comments (1)

if i had a boat...

I'd go out on the ocean.... Been listening to Lyle Lovett.

Anyway, on my way back from the manicurist this morning, I saw a *station wagon with a xmas tree on top* driving home to some sort of tree trimming bliss with the perfect family. Won't the tree die before xmas day if you buy it this early??

Snowboard girl called and tried to tempt me away from my schoolwork with Mario Kart. I really really want to go but I must stop blogging and finish homework.

News flash: Cassie painted one hand brown and the other black with magic marker. hahaha....

Update: Saw Cassie and Annika last night. Kohrt's came over for din-din. Cassie's hands were pretty clean, but it looks like she's got Ebola.

Posted by jennj at 11:07 AM | Comments (2)

slug-o-rama

Oof. I ate too much of that damn good food yesterday. I also drank way too much wine. Heh. I slept in until 1pm today. It felt good. I've been tuned out all day, too. Yippee. A complete day of slugging. We watched X-Men 2, Bridget Jones's Diary and Interview with a Vampire.

I've got a new palm device, the Tungsten E. I wasn't planning on buying a new handheld, but my sony clie battery died.

The entire day was completely wasted. Tomorrow will be different. I've got a research paper due in a week and finals, etc. I will take time to focus on college tomorrow. I also will be registering for spring semester on Monday. No writing classes. Heh. I needed a day like today.

Posted by jennj at 09:24 AM | Comments (4)

happy thanksgiving

I have many things to be thankful for today. The non-blogging husband. My friends. My family. The kitties. Things may not be going well for me emotionally and there's a lot of stress, but I'm loved. And that's beautius.

We'll be off to snowboardgirl and headpigeon's today for mucho drinking (yes, I've decided to break my no-drinking-until-end-of-the-year rule) and eating. And Nintendo and PlayStation sore thumb making. And cooking. And mayhem.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted by jennj at 09:02 AM | Comments (0)

mom, sis - you suck!

I got burned real good by my mom and sis the other day. They got me good. I called my sis up and she says, "Hey, mom got a tattoo! She got two of them!" "What?" "Yeah." "I gotta go, sis, I'm callin' mom." *click*

Dad answers. "Lora just told me mom got two tattoos!" "Maybe." "What do you mean maybe? Put mom on the phone!" "Ok".

"Lora just told me you got two tatoos! Where? When? Why? What?" "Well, yes, I did." "Well, where?" "I'm not sure I should tell you where...it may be TMI..." "Not in this case! What are they? Where? Two?" "Yes, two. Maybe I'll get more..." "Where.." Etc. You get the picture.

They had me going for a good freakin' 10 minutes. For 10 minutes I thought my 70-year-old mom had gotten two tatoos. Well, she kinda does: She's got eyebrow tattoos. My sis's salon is starting to do cosmetic tattooing (perm eye liner, etc.). My mom has always had to use a pencil to make herself have eyebrows and she figured at her age, why not? My mom and sis suck for setting me up like that. (actually, it was really funny and a good one...)

Posted by jennj at 12:14 PM | Comments (0)

let's make biscuits!

Let's make biscuits! Well, it was a good thing I tested out the roll recipe this weekend for upcoming T-Day with snowboard girl and head pigeons. I messed something up and the dough did not mix thoroughly in the bread machine. I think I may have messed up on the wet ingredients. I'm going to try again tonight, and I'm going to melt the butter.

I bought an indoor grill at Williams-Sonoma. I was looking at this model from Crate & Barrel and then the one I bought at Williams-Sonoma. We tried it Saturday night. It was good. The reason why I bought the one at Williams-Sonoma. When I went and saw it in the store it looked easier to clean than the crate and barrel one, $20 cheaper and came with a little cookbook.

Posted by jennj at 08:48 AM | Comments (3)

ketchup as gravy

I'm going to burn in hell. Or something. Before Annika's b-day party started yesterday, I dared Cassie yesterday to dip a piece of chocolate covered graham cracker in her ketchup and eat it. She did.

Oh man, one of Annika's friends had to bring her 2-year old brother. Two of us were doing all the girl's nails. I'm sitting there, getting ready to put the stuff away cause I'd just finished the last set of nails and he picked up one of the colors, sat in the chair across from me and put his hands down to have them painted. Uh....hahahaha....so, I consulted the adults,er,parents in the room what I should do and they agreed I should paint his nails. The little girls were screaming with laughter. It was cute.

Posted by jennj at 06:53 AM | Comments (5)

because you should know

Powdered sugar is not an appropriate substitute for sugar when making Kool-Aid.

hehehe...it was *nasty*.

Posted by jennj at 06:43 AM | Comments (4)

what i'm going through...

I haven't been myself lately. I've been missing me. Various things have been happening that just...well, affected me. Read on....

I'm stressed at work. I'm stressed with college. I'm stressed with my health. Ever since my ski accident I haven't been exercising regularly. I've gained 10 lbs. I'm not comfortable in my body. And intellectually I know this, but I can't seem to get myself to exercise and pay attention to my health. Which is stupid, because my birth-father died at the age of 59 of a stroke/heart attack/diabetes/high blood pressure, etc. In other words, it's not like I've got a clean bill of health right now at the ripe age of 34. My job has completely occupied my time for the past month to where I eat at my desk and don't even smell the roses. I can't focus. I've got a writing assignment due today and I'm living in la-la land, denial. I still have a research paper due at the beginning of December, also. I'm so stressed by work that I just want to shut-down. And all of this is happening and I can only imagine what it would be like if I wasn't taking my meds (bi-polar). I love my meds. My precious. I feel disconnected from my friends. I feel disconnected from my relationship with the non-blogging husband. I feel disconnected from work, even. If I have a down moment at work, I just sit and stare. It's even an effort to blog right now. As a matter of fact, I've been blogging this weekend so I can avoid doing my homework. I am definitely only taking one class in the winter. And a computer one at that, so I don't stress myself out. I was at the video rental store last night (as in, I'd rather watch a movie and avoid doing my writing assignment). I struggle because I don't want my friends to think that I'm avoiding them because of something they've done. I avoid because there are times where I just need to curl up in bed and tune out the world. Re-charge. I haven't re-charged, recently, tho. And I also feel that I can't share with others what's happening at work because they wouldn't understand. I feel alone. I wish my friends understood about clinical trials and the intricacies. I can't even talk to the non-blogging husband about my frustration with work and the almost comical way this one trial has been starting up. Then, I think about my friends (hi, Donna) who understand clinical trials and I realize I do have people I can reach out to who will understand. But I'm so mired in my depression and attitude that I can't lift the phone because I feel I don't have anything to say. I have nothing to say. Nothing.

Posted by jennj at 10:43 AM | Comments (4)

bizarre information

In the year 2000, 85 people were bitten by sharks. That same year, in New York City, 1600 people were bitten by other people. hahahahaha

--Monster Garage (they're turning a pontoon party boat into a sea-worthy shark boat with a shark cage)

Posted by jennj at 10:17 AM | Comments (1)

coffee, tea or me?

Ahh....a refreshing cup of coffee. And the first Opus comic strip in 10 years. Beautius.

Meanwhile, we are off to the Kohrt's around noon today to help setup for the Scooby-Doo (I never liked scooby-doo...gimme bugs any day) themed birthday party for Annika, who is turning 6. Suggested games: pin the beard on the shaggy head, bobbing for scooby snacks and guess who's under the fake mask that will be pulled off at the end of the show every time?

Posted by jennj at 09:44 AM | Comments (0)

nice quote

My mother had the following in her e-mail signature recently:

"Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than
circumstances, than what other people think or say or do. It is more
important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a
company, a church, a home." -- CHARLES SWINDOLL

I like it. I like it a lot. (I had to figure out who Charles Swindoll is and it turns out a he's a pastor with his own website, etc.) I'm not Christian, but I think this is applicable for everyone.

Posted by jennj at 11:39 AM | Comments (0)

dammit

I'm sitting in my manicurists reception area, waiting for the nails to dry, and I look at the Cosmo cover. And it's like it hasn't changed since the last time I saw a Cosmo cover, whenever that was. "What Will Really Drive Him Wild In Bed" "What Men Really Want" "How Men Want To Be Kissed". Are men really that hard to satisfy in bed? No offense, guys.

Addendum:
Girls, put down that magazine. If you really want to get smart about good sex, do yourself a favor. Go to Good Vibrations and either a) order via the web or b) contact them about finding a store in the local area where the owners have been mentored by GV. There's an awesome one right here in the Boston area, Grand Opening. And while you're there, focus on yourself, too.

Posted by jennj at 01:29 AM | Comments (2)

opus! opus! this sunday!

Don't forget to pick up your Sunday paper this weekend! Opus is BACK! This is especially exciting to me as my sister and I bonded over Opus tattoo's a few years ago and got tats on our left calves. See pics of mine here and here. Thanks for reminding me Elke.

Now, other BIG NEWS. It's like christmas this week! Snowboard Girl has informed me that Invader Zim DVD's will be available in Spring of '04! I could cry, this is so cool. Marathon showing at my house!!

And Snowboard Girl and Head Pigeons take good care of me and the non-blogging husband. You guys rock! We had a yummy dinner and then watched Survivor. Ahh....life is good.

Posted by jennj at 10:45 AM | Comments (0)

it tricks us...the precious wants to go back to it's master

Well, we did it. We bought the TV. Then, we bought the extended DVD of Two Towers. Then, we turned off cell phones and watched it last night. Okay, this stuff has occurred over the past 5 days....not all in one day, folks. After all, we do have to work for a living, alas.

Loved the extended version, of course.

Posted by jennj at 06:49 AM | Comments (0)

random thoughts and feelings....

So, what's up with Michael Jackson? They obviously had enough for a search warrant. They'll be conducting the rest of their investigation for the next 45 days and either get enough stuff or not to go forward with the charges. There is a part of me that's like, "Well, this isn't too surprising." But then there's the other part of me that's like, "Innocent until proven guilty." I didn't tell anyone what happened to me until I was 21. So, please, do not start talking to me about "Why haven't we heard anything else besides the other charge (case settled) until now? Wouldn't you think someone would have come forward by now?". If you haven't been there, you wouldn't understand the shame, guilt, powerlessness and confusion of a child mind as this is happening (I love hearing when children come forward instead of hiding from it). Is he innocent? Dunno. If he's guilty, then I'm sure you can guess my thoughts on that.

Posted by jennj at 06:48 AM | Comments (2)

bad influences and sore thumb epidemic

It is spreading. I have caught it. Who is patient zero? That's what I want to know. Snowboard Girl and Head Pigeons came over the other night and showed me two games: Monsters, Inc. and Piglet.

I am still undecided about Piglet, but I'm definitely craving for Monsters, Inc. Almost bought it last night but it seemed silly to head to best buy when we knew we'd be going there today for LOTR: Two Towers Extended Version DVD. Yay! Consume! Consume!

As much as we'd like to watch the movie TONIGHT, it ain't gonna happen. Stupid jobs.

Posted by jennj at 10:16 AM | Comments (3)

mom and pop's dyeshop is up!

Hey, everyone! Check out my mom and dad's dyeshop! Learn how to use mordants with different materials to get colors...especially handy for those of you who are in the SCA and want costumes made of colors that would actually have existed in medieval times! You'd be amazed at what colors my mother has been able to get out of materials that would have existed then...opens up all new avenues for costumers....

Posted by jennj at 09:29 AM | Comments (0)

against all odds

April calls yesterday and says, "When is Two Towers Extended Version out on DVD?" "Tuesday." "And you're going to watch it on your old TV??" hahahaha. Everyone is against me. The Kohrt's are even willing to give us a 10% off coupon they have for Cambridge Soundworks, so that would be 20% off.

Joe and Cindy were no help either and used stupid logic. "Do you watch a lot of movies?" "Yes." "Do you use your TiVo a lot?" "Yes." "Do you play video games a lot?" "Chris does, mostly." "So, why not get it?"

I feel my immune system stopping the fighting.

Posted by jennj at 09:18 AM | Comments (1)

life is good

I had my manicure this morning. Got my haircut and colored. Went and had lunch in Boston with some fab co-workers. Snowboard Girl posted hot picture of Johnny Depp. Tonight we're seeing our friends Joe and Cindy. Ahh.....

In the meantime, amusing Cassie story. Background, first. We always ate at the dinner table while the Kohrt's were with us, good manners for the kids and all. Well, Chris and I don't say grace. For obvious reasons. So, the Kohrt's really didn't force the issue about the kids saying grace during their stay with us (although, it would have been fine). Chris and I got in the habit of pretty much grabbing food and starting to eat before there could be any grace said, actually. Anyway, apparantly Cassie has been asking occasionally at their dinner table if they could "Do like what they did at Chris and Jenn's". Oops. Bad influence.

Posted by jennj at 05:23 AM | Comments (0)

now is not the time...

Now is not the time for the non-blogging husband to be talking to me about purchasing a new TV (never mind the fact that we bought one less than a year ago cause our old one broke). I've gained ten pounds since I hurt my back skiing earlier this year and the last thing I want is to buy something that will encourage my couch potato behavior.

However, I've not *told* my husband how I've been feeling about the weight gain, so it's really not fair for me to think that he should be reading my mind.

This is what he wants to get.

I'm not sure we need it. I'm not sure I want to spend the money on it. I also feel as though I'm being too materialistic. And why does he want to all of the sudden buy one anyway?? Is this some technological pon farr that is on a six month schedule?

Posted by jennj at 08:34 AM | Comments (2)

i got nothin'

I got nothin'. Non-blogging husband made reservations at the premium cinema for Wednesday night and we saw love actually. I enjoyed it a lot. But I love all of Richard Curtis's movies. It was good. It was enjoyable.

In the meantime, I've had another root canal in my upper right molar. Yippee. No foreign objects this time. My endodontist says I have a "good palette". Well, I hope so since it'd been cleansed recently from the bad taste of Matrix III.

Snowboard Girl and Head Pigeons came over last night for dinner and Survivor. It was fun. Haven't seen them in awhile. Missed them.

This whole week has been a major disconnect for me. I've seen three movies, three nights in a row (Mon-Wed), which is not normal for me. And I've been working too much, again. However, no work after hours. Just full days with no time to take a breath.

Posted by jennj at 08:07 AM | Comments (3)

Elvis is alive

Went and saw Bubba-Hotep last night. Very amusing. I now know that Elvis did not die and how he managed it. Very convincing theory in the movie. Heh. Okay, very amusing theory in the movie.

Ahh...the palette has been cleansed.

In the meantime, I'm wearing a new sweater today. I like my new sweater. I like it goood.

And I've had Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper''s "Elvis Is Everywhere" going through my mind all morning....which is much better than the "I am Evil Homer" from the Nintendo game.....

Posted by jennj at 08:51 AM | Comments (0)

LEO (lower earth orbit) Here we come!

Good news for those of us interested in the future of commercial space travel. Check it out!

(from my friend daniel's site...otherwise, I might have missed the good news!)

Posted by jennj at 10:56 AM | Comments (3)

however

They had a movie teaser for "Troy". Oh god, everything a girl wants. Brad Pitt. Orlando Bloom. Sean Bean. Peter O'Toole (I just love his stuff). Yum.

Posted by jennj at 09:53 AM | Comments (7)

i'm at a loss

I'm at a loss as to what to say. I just saw Matrix: Revolutions. What a piece of shit. That about sums it up. I don't get it. I don't want to get it. Poor head pigeons, he was there too, along with the non-blogging husband. I'm so glad I'm going to see Bubba-Hotep tomorrow night to cleanse my palette.

There were some interesting visuals. The "Quidditch - Matrix Style" scenes were interesting. I'm being told by others that I'm being too harsh on the movie. Well, you guys can kiss my shiny white butt. I'm sticking to it: Piece Of Shit.

Posted by jennj at 09:47 AM | Comments (8)

whaaaa?

I'm confused. I'm done with all my homework. *blink* I can't help but feel that because things went so smoothly that I may have seriously fucked up my papers or that unix assignment. I have time to help with the laundry today? I have time to go grocery shopping? I have time to play that damn, addictive TextTwist palm game? I have free time??

And is anyone else as disturbed as I am about this? Don't you think OSHA should be involved? What if the liquid is blood, anybody ever hear of blood born pathogens? And he got his hand slapped because he's operating a business shipping body parts (where does he get them?) without a license?

Posted by jennj at 03:16 AM | Comments (3)

addicted

Like I need to become addicted to a new palm OS game. The non-blogging husband was playing a text game on his Tungsten last night at Kris and Mike's while we were watching Survivor. I played a round or two. Decided when we got home I was going to buy it from astraware. When we went to bed, I decided to play a game or two. An HOUR later, I put it down and went to sleep.

I've not been posting. Real Life has taken control. I've worked during the past two weekends and almost every night this week (including an hours worth of work last night before heading to Kris and Mike's). I've got homework to do, also, which I've been fitting in, and then I want to have a bit of fun. I know the work stuff will let up soon, it's just I've been hit with three clinical trials starting up/going into production all at the same time, etc. So, blogging will be minimal over the next week. Waaah.

Posted by jennj at 08:59 AM | Comments (0)

because i'm already working on going from the gutter to the sewer

Since I've already been crass today, why not continue?

As I've been telling folks, there was this uh, interesting statue in front of the hotel I was staying at in Paris. Since I haven't finished my trip report (and probably won't in the foreseeable future), I ask you this: Is it a 30 foot bronze thumb or penis? You decide.

Posted by jennj at 09:15 AM | Comments (1)

looking for a good word

Warning: Link below is for adults only.

Because snowboardgirl is chicken, the clue fairy has brought a new word to your vocabulary: phildo.

My favorite part of the site is the cartoons showing you how to use it ("How It Works" section). The clue fairy always appreciates it when others help make the world more clue-ful.

Posted by jennj at 07:52 AM | Comments (3)

shave and a haircut - NOT

The world beard and moustache championships. Apparantly, some of the categories you can enter allow for "artificial styling aids".

Well.

Posted by jennj at 08:18 AM | Comments (1)

expert opinion

Voice Mail waiting for me this morning at work from a friend:
"Hey, Jenn. I need your expert IT opinion. Just how many times is the average person expected to have their hard drive fail in one year? " Uh......

Apparantly this is the third time for my friend this year. Three times is habit. I'm thinking he's playing with magnets around his computer. I'm scared to call and hear his story....

Posted by jennj at 07:44 AM | Comments (0)

is it gauche of me?

I need your opinion, plz. I love the Keurig coffee machines at work. I really do. Now, if you're a coffee snob, maybe they aren't the best thing, but I enjoy brewing it. If I bought a home version, would you all be offended if I served you coffee that way with your dessert? I know many of you like fresh brewed coffee. But this way, you can pick a variety of different flavors of coffee. And, they have tea you can now throw in the machine. But do you think that these machines do NOT brew a good cup? That it's just not the same flavor/quality you get when you grind the beans? Lemme know. Christmas is coming.

Posted by jennj at 12:04 PM | Comments (5)