Jadyn's Blog

My Daemon

2007-10-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

According to the quiz I took on the movie website, I am responsible, modest, a leader, solitary, and dependable. These are the characteristics of Anicetos, the Tiger Daemon. Which is awesome, because the tiger is my favorite animal, and I was born in the Year of the Tiger, and if I had chosen any animal to be, it would have been this. Imagine my thrill when he came walking up!

John Mayer Is My Hero

2006-10-20T06:26:00.000-07:00

Check out the lyrics to my favorite song on John Mayer's new CD (Continuum):

BELIEF (Click to go to his site and listen)
Is there anyone who
Ever remembers changing their mind from
The paint on a sign?
Is there anyone who really recalls
Ever breaking rank at all
For something someone yelled real loud one time?

Everyone believes
In how they think it ought to be.
Everyone believes,
And they're not going easily.

Belief is a beautiful armor
But makes for the heaviest sword.
Like punching under water:
You never can hit who you're trying for.

Some need the exhibition,
And some have to know they tried.
It's the chemical weapon
For the war that's raging on inside.

Everyone believes,
From emptiness to everything.
Everyone believes,
And no one's going quietly.

We're never gonna win the world...
We're never gonna stop the war...
We're never gonna beat this
If belief is what we're fighting for.

Is there anyone who you can remember
Who ever surrendered with their life on the line?

We're never gonna win the world...
We're never gonna stop the war...
We're never gonna beat this
If belief is what we're fighting for.

What puts a hundred thousand children in the sand?
Belief can.
What puts the folded flag inside his mother's hand?
Belief can.

This song speaks the exact point I've been making for years: as long as people are fighting over religious beliefs, there will NEVER be peace. Zealots fight for their cause in the face of all reason. You can't turn them around; to do that would be to have them deny their faith, which is the ultimate treason. We are fighting a losing battle. I'm so upset at our government for involving us in this mess.

~J~

2006-07-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

Jadyn Acts 23 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe.

13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.

20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more!

40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Update...finally!

2006-07-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

Well hi!

I am finally surfacing after over two months. I have thrown myself into the teaching thing. I am applying tomorrow for the 2007-08 Dallas ISD Alternative Teacher Certification Program, since all my transcripts arrived yesterday, and that's all I needed. I'm also going to Brookhaven college to register and enroll in classes, once I figure out which classes I need, and how I can pay for them.

Disability is also in the works. I refiled last month, and the case is in Austin being reviewed by their doctors. I really hope they see that this is a horrendous, ongoing problem and that I need help to rehabilitate myself and get out of the computer-all-day world. The main reason I haven't blogged is my arm problem.

And no, that hasn't gotten better. I've been unemployed for over 2 months, except for a week of freelance work last month, and I haven't gotten better at all. Dammit.

I have also joined the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Substitute Teacher pool, so once school starts on August 14th, I may have some employment opportunity. I am getting unemployment, but money is still tight. We all know what unemployment pays. :(

ili and I are happy...we celebrated a year on 7/11!!! We are very much in love, and we are very much excited about each other's future prospects, job opps, college, etc. Life is good.

We saw An Inconvenient Truth (the Al Gore movie about Global Warming) and have made vows to do our part in trying to save the environment. One thing is to switch out all the light bulbs in the house (which we will do next paycheck), and the big thing we will be doing once I get gainfully employed again is buy a scooter and have one of us use that whenever possible. Like, if we're off that day, use that to go to the store or run errands, since they have much fewer emissions and use less gas. I also want to start recycling. I think we have that option here in Dallas, but currently we don't do it. So we'll get a recycle bin and start that.

Ok so that's the update. I love you all...

~J~

LAID OFF

2006-05-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

Aaarrrggh, I've been laid off. Ok this is old news. I was laid off two weeks ago tomorrow. But I was laid off, just the same.

So this leaves me with the age old question, one I thought I wasn't going to have to ask myself:
"what am I going to do when I grow up?"

I want to be a singer. Bottom line...that's my goal. I have this stupid stage fright thing only in front of friends and family. Oooh they just love that. They love that I refuse to sing for them but can sing the National Anthem in front of thousands of people at baseball games. I think they're insulted. Ok let me 'splain. When you sing in front of thousands of people, or in a dark theater or room, you don't have to look people in the eye. When you're on the field at AT&T Park in San Francisco, you're dozens of feet away from the nearest person. It's much easier, really...for me, anyway.

I don't know that I like having people look right into my soul when I sing. I don't know, that's the only way I can explain it.

So I'm looking for a band. I've said it before...I don't want country, metal, or Sleater Kinney. No no no no no. No Sleater Kinney.

And I'm looking for a job that will pay me well and not make me sit at a computer all day. Is that so much to ask? What is there to do that won't make me type......all....day......oh crap I'm typing right now. ili will kill me. I'm going, I'm going.

Aaaarggh how is a person supposed to search for a job or communicate without a computer these days????????????? And don't tell me to use the phone...no one answers, least of all me.

Ha ha...take care,
~J~

Going Crazy

2006-05-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

Hello, my name is Jadyn, and I think I've lost my mind.

So here's the deal: I am one of the most bubbly, obnoxiously positive, "up" people that most of my friends and family know. They think it's annoying that I am THAT happy all the time.

Well it's changed lately. I have entered the much-feared Land of Depression, and I sure as hell hope I can find my way back out. Rage seems to be my latest symptom. I won't go into vast detail, but I'll just say that the drive to work this morning was sufficient to ruin my whole day. I will be going to lunch, and I'm determined to throw this morning in the trash along with my coffee cup.

Ok let's just go into SOME detail. How does crying, primal screaming, yelling, pounding, and choking on myself sound? Yeah...it sounds about as fun as it actually was.

I am tired of everything. I am tired of being poor, I am tired of my chronic arm pain, I am tired of outrageous gas prices, I am tired of TX drivers, and I am tired of my boss/coworker (I title her that way because she rarely acts like my boss) not giving me the review and raise I was promised back in January. I am tired of being bloated. Oh did I mention that I'm late for my period, and that it's definitely a factor for my serious decline in attitude? How long can one person PMS????? Plus, my cat, Boo, loves to walk all over me at night and snuggle, but she has no clue that little kitten feet and sore boobs do NOT mix. They have been sore going on a week now. When will I bleed??? Goddammit!!!!! Aaaaaaaaaaah!!

Gas is breaking me. I am seriously thinking of selling my car and buying a scooter. Actually, ili and I are one step away from selling her car altogether. She gets to ride DART for free as an El Centro student, and we can share my car if necessary. We really are thinking of getting a scooter for short trips, etc. Much lower gas mileage, and WAY cheaper than a car.

So anyway, today sucks. I hate Tuesdays anyway. Can I pleeeeease just go back to bed and wake up tomorrow? Please?

~J~

Welcome to TX: Land of Lobotomized Drivers

2006-04-05T07:43:00.001-07:00

Ever feel like everyone around you is stoooopid? Feel like they're all walking around on autopilot? Just a little too "dazed and confused" for your taste? Hmmm...

YOU MUST BE IN TEXAS.

I have been saying it since I moved here. People in Texas are stupid. Now mind you, not everyone in Texas is stupid. In fact, I pride myself on knowing several native Texans of quite high intelligence. But one only has to look at the drivers to see: the general population in Texas, or more specifically, Dallas, has a lower intelligence level than other parts of the country.

In my opinion, anyway.

See, I view the way people drive as a barometer that measures their "smartness" level. Distracted people are all over the road. Assholes drive like assholes, cutting people off, driving WAY too fast, etc. Soccer moms with 6 screaming pre-teens in the car drive like...soccer moms with 6 screaming pre-teens in the car.

But the most infuriating drivers are the ones that oooooooze down the street / avenue / tollway / freeway / parking lot / sidewalk going 3.5 miles UNDER the speed limit, totally oblivious that there is a whole other world out there besides what's (not) going on between their ears. What, praytell, is the cause of this otherworld-like quality that causes such a vast number of Dallas-area people to drive as if they've been lobotomized??

Here it is...get ready: they HAVE been lobotomized.

Not sure if you've heard, but there are significant amounts of ANTI-DEPRESSANTS floating around in Dallas-area water. Now, they SAY that it hasn't made its way into our drinking water...YET. But do you think they'd admit even for a second that these drugs HAVE made it into the drinking water, unless they had a solution all planned out for when people find out and panic??? NO! Of course not! They may never even tell us at all! I wouldn't put it past them to just come up with a plan and then quietly implement it so it gets corrected without mass freaking out.

So I think people ARE drinking their lobotomies. Don't believe me? Use me as just one example: I'm intelligent. I'm a very aware and conscious driver. I read regularly, am able to multi-task quite successfully, do well in my job, and I use my turn signal whenever my car is going to move somewhere other than the place it is currently (like, oh I don't know, let's see...CHANGING LANES AND TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT). And here's the kicker: I don't drink tapwater.

Of course, you don't have to take my word for it. I'm just a pissed off and very opinionated non-Texan trapped here for a while and forced to drive through a throng of babbling idiots every day.

OH YES JOHN MACKEY HAS A BLOG!!!!

2006-03-28T12:23:00.000-08:00

John Mackey is the Founder and CEO of Whole Foods. He has some amazing views...check out his blog here:
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blogs/jm/

ili got a job!

2006-03-28T12:11:00.000-08:00

OH YES SHE'S AT WHOLE FOODS.
GO ILI, GO ILI, GO, GO, GO ILI!!!

This is like a dream come true...for me. Ha ha. No she is really excited and told me today that she is really going to like working for this company.

Seriously, it's an amazing company to work for, and the owner is my idol, so that's why it's a dream come true for me. :) When we move to Austin, that will be the first place I go looking for a job, since they're headquartered there.

To check out Whole Foods and why they're so great, click here.

Yay! Congratulations, my Hunny! You deserve a great job with a great company, and they're giving you full time hours and great pay...awesome! I knew you'd get it!

So now all the "new job new job new job" mantra energy can be focussed solely on Jenny! Go Jenny!!!!

~J~

Good luck vibes for ili and Jenny, and interview tips!!!

2006-03-21T12:19:00.000-08:00

Ok Jenny and ili need some serious good luck to wend its way in their direction, because they both need jobs...Jenny slightly more desperately than ili, although 6-10 hours a week hardly qualifies as a job, so ili is pretty desperate, too.

So send them some good thoughts, people!

This does prompt me to post some well-learned advice about job-hunting. I've got plenty of experience, and considering I work as a Graphic Designer without an ounce of formal training as such, and got here by working my way up, I think I am by now an expert on successful interviewing and job hunting. I have never, I repeat never, been turned down for a job I actually interviewed for. Which means I'm doing something right.

1. Send thank you cards to EVERYONE who interviews you. While this is the last thing you do in the interview process, I put it first, because it is hugely important, and forgotten by almost everyone I know. Not only is it polite, but given how many people DON'T send cards, it ensures that you will stand out among the rest. I actually bring a card with me, already filled out with the address and stamped, and immediately following the interview, while it's fresh in my mind, I write a short note thanking them for their time, and mentioning something specific from the interview, like "I enjoyed discussing music with you...if I get the chance to work for [company], I'll be sure to bring in the latest Sheryl Crow album - I think it's your style!" Then I drop it in the nearest mailbox. In most cases, it arrives the next day and makes a HUGE impression.

2. Make sure your resume looks awesome. And NEVER print it on white paper unless your type is in color, or you have some other colorful thing on it. Black & white blends in with everyone else's resumes.

3. RELAX. This isn't the end of the world. It's an interview. The worst that can happen is you don't get the job, which remember, YOU DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE, so it's not like you're losing anything. You only stand to GAIN, so try not to think of it as a potential LOSS.

4. Smile and don't be afraid to show excitement for the company and the position. The worst thing you can do is act like you're NOT excited, because guess what? They WANT you to be. They won't hire you if they think you don't really want it. So show some emotion. Just don't act like a crazed fool...too much can make them think you're manic.

5. Laugh. It's infectious. If you can get them to laugh with you, you're in...or at least one big step closer.

6. Wear something they'll remember. Whether it's a brightly colored tie or hat or belt or a pin or whatever, just make sure that even if they don't remember your name at first, they'll remember "the girl wearing the green striped shirt" or "the guy with the Jerry Garcia tie."

7. Do NOT smoke before an interview. Most people view that as an instant turn-off, and many people are specifically looking for non-smokers. I have worked at several companies that asked for non-smokers, so make sure you don't smell like an ash-tray. Even if you do smoke, give them no reason to even ask. If your car smells, you may want to consider cleaning it out so the smell doesn't wear off on you. This is nothing personal, it's just the way things are.

8. Come with a list of well thought out questions. They love when you have taken the time to do that. It shows that you're concientous, and you're interested.

9. Before you leave, ask what the next steps are. This should be your last question. It makes them tell you their process and lets you know how soon to expect them to call, and when to give up hope, if necessary, so you're not wondering three weeks later whatever happened.

10. CALL THEM TO FOLLOW UP. This is a must. The ball is in YOUR court. There is no harm in calling them, once or even twice. The best time of day to call is around 10-11 AM. Do it about 3-5 days after the interview, and if they haven't made a decision or don't answer or call you back, call again in another week. If you haven't heard anything by then, then you can give up and move on.

Happy hunting!
~J~

Oh the glory of it all!

2006-03-14T14:34:00.000-08:00

Check out the biggest project I've done so far...!

These are three banner stands for displaying at our trade show booths.
~J~

I Left My Heart...

2006-03-11T22:05:00.000-08:00

...in San Francisco,
High on a hill
She calls to me.

Anyway, hi!

I've been locked away in the comforts of my grandparents' house for the last few days, and I never actually made it to San Francisco, which is just about 20 minutes south of here, but I will cross over the Golden Gate on my way to the airport tomorrow morning. So I'll drive through the city, even though I won't stop there.

I want to take the time to thank Jenny and Carri for the absolutely gorgeous flower arrangement they sent for my grandmother's funeral service. It was the largest arrangement there...a giant spray of red gladioli, and it was beautiful. My whole family sends their thanks.

So yay for online check-in on AA.com!!! I was able to check in this evening, thereby avoiding some amount of hassle tomorrow morning. Cool, huh?

I am writing this while my mom, her husband, my grandfather and my aunt Tina are watching What Lies Beneath on TV and getting freaked out. There are lots of "uh oh"s and "look out"s. :) It's cute. We have had a tremendous bonding experience over the last few days. In this time, I have connected with people I haven't had much time to really get close to over the years. Last night we all got together to pick and print the best photos of my Grammy to put on this display for the service today...and in doing so, we rediscovered how beautiful and loving she was, and how her smile sparkled, and how much love we all gleaned from her. It was so healing.

A new haiku moment:
Grammy smiled a lot.
Love was present everywhere.
Suffer no more, love.

And onto funnier things:
Jenny never dates.
She ponders o'er Canadians.
She'll never get laid.

And ooooh here's another one.
Jenny don't hate me.
Surely thou dost know I jest.
You'll get laid someday.

And then there's this one:
Ili and Jenny
Are the bestest greatest fiends.
Oops right, I meant friends.

I love haikus.

See you all tomorrow!
Love,
~J~

A funny thing happened on the way to nowhere...

2006-03-06T13:51:00.000-08:00

I have this friend named Jenny and this girlfriend named ili. Let me tell you about them. They are two of the most stubborn people I've ever met. And that's saying a LOT, because I seem to be plagued by stubborn friends/family members, and then of course there's me...the most stubborn pain in the ass of all. Well not really, that's Jenny. Ha ha just kidding, Jenny (or AM I?)...

That's it. Not much more to say about that. I don't need examples. It's just a fact, like "the sky is blue" or "Donald Trump's hair is terrible"...blatant in your face facts that need no backing up, they just ARE.

Ok on to other subjects...let's have a haiku moment:
Many moons ago
People walked 'round with no pants.
Thank god for fig leaves.

Anyway, so Brokeback didn't win Best Picture last night. Damn. I was going to wear rainbow today in honor of it and everything. Oh well, I guess Crash was good too, but I need to see it a second time because I don't remember much about it. Except everyone in it is perty. And Jenny & I tried to watch Walk the Line last night but the stooopid DVD failed halfway through! Aarrrrgggh! And we were really getting into it!

I am excited that the rap song from Hustle & Flow, "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp" won best song. Yay for the Academy and its continued embrace of things non-WASP/straight/religious! Yay yay yay! However, I will say I hope the recorded version is better than the live version at the Oscars, cause it pretty much sucked, even though I still have it in my head. Of course I've forgotten most of the words, so it kind of goes like this:
"It's hard out here fo' a pimp.
Inny hinny hiney leeeeah fo some shrimp.
It's hard out here fo' a pimp.
Fizzy linda got no money fo' da rent."

Ok you people better be laughing at that, because I myself am rolling. Jenny, is this the kind of "funny" you were looking for??

Which brings me to another haiku moment:
Ludacris kicked ass.
Wearing Armani is cool.
Helena should've stayed home.

So I'm headed to California to attend my grandmother's service and make a pilgrimage to San Francisco, where I'm sure to spend all my money just trying to get across the bridge. But it will be fun even if I do wind up having to hitchhike back home because I sold my plane ticket for a trip across the Bay on the ferry and a latte at Starbucks. Hee hee hee. Any requests? I can pick up See's candy or sourdough bread or a crab or a keychain (but watch out, touristy souvenirs from SF will break you, so in true CA form, I'll be charging a 300% finder's fee.)

Comments, please...comments!!!
~J~

Your mother was a hampster, and your father smelt of elderberries!!!

2006-03-03T08:54:00.000-08:00

Ok here is my theory (get ready, cause it's a doozy) on why half of all marriages fail.

Simple, really: women have changed, but men have essentially not, nor has the institution of marriage itself.

Let me explain. People have been getting married since, what, the beginning of time? Yet back in the day, the "little woman" was the homemaker, and the man went out and earned the money. He came home to dinner already made, the house cleaned, and the kids taken care of.

Nowadays, women are empowered with an education that teaches them that they can be anything they want to be, that they don't have to take "no" for an answer, that they don't have to have children if they don't want them*, and that they deserve respect.

Men, however, are still raised to be mama's boys. They are for the most part not taught how to cook or do laundry, their mom's pick up after them all their lives, they are coddled, and then they get jobs in companies where all the assistants are women.

Bring these two people together and you have a power struggle from day one. Oh sure, the dating part is great, because they don't live together. But as soon as they move in together and/or get married, the problems start. The woman comes home after a long day at work and doesn't want to cook. The man comes home from a long day at work and doesn't want to cook, nor does he know how. So the woman cooks, because the man only knows how to microwave mac n' cheese. He screws up the laundry because he only did it in college when he had to and didn't care what his clothes came out looking like ("what's wrong with putting a couple of red socks into the whites? At least now all the whites match each other...they're pink! I thought you liked pink!!??").

The man expects the house to be clean but the woman is tired. And if they have kids, there's more trouble, because the woman invariably has a job on top of it, but asking the man to take care of them immasculates him.

Anyone see where this is going? Marriage, and all the expectations that go along with it, hasn't changed, but people, specifically women, have...we are trying to fit square pegs into a round hole. Jenny thinks a bigger reason why marriages fail is that they aren't taken as seriously as they used to be. The acceptance of divorce as a viable option has weakened the sanctity of marriage. I don't agree. I think that's a direct byproduct of the fact that the institution of marriage itself fails because people think differently than they did a century ago. Because most marriages fail, people don't feel as badly when theirs does, and therefore they don't take marriage as seriously. A vicious cycle, really.

Marriage will continue to fail at an alarming rate until we adjust our expectations.

Oh one more thing, we need to allow gay people to marry, because most of the ones that want it have been living together quite successfully for a long, long time, and since they're of the same sex, they consider each other equal in the relationship.

Want to see divorce rates decline? LET US GET MARRIED.

~J~

*excludes women in the South.

By the Ass-Monkey's Command...and Goodbye to a Wonderful Woman.

2006-03-01T08:04:00.000-08:00

Here's a new post, by my friend the Ass Monkey's command!!! I know, but I needed to let the Guide sink in for a while. Hee hee...

So my Grammy died the night before last, at 10:35 PM Pacific Standard Time, on February 27th. She was very ill and in hospice care, and I was waiting for the call for a week. She had been asleep since last Wednesday. The day before that, she was awake and talking more than she had in a while. She told my mom that she didn't want to die. Then she said "well maybe I can do it glamorously." That's so her. So when she was dying, my mom kept telling her that she was doing it glamorously. I love my mother. I want to be that good to her when she's going, and long before that.

My family was blessed with an overdose of love. We have huge hearts and we're very compassionate, and my grandmother passed that onto all of us. She had her faults, like everyone does, but loving too much was NOT one of them. Below is a list of what she taught me, by her example.

Things I Learned From My Grammy
1. Love as much as your heart will let you.
2. Play games until you can't play anymore.
3. Appreciate your surroundings. Admire beauty.
4. Be glamorous at all times.
5. Don't smoke.
6. Don't drink to excess.
7. Exercise regularly.
8. Read, read, read.
9. Be there for your family. Be generous.
10. Forgive and move on.
11. Fight for what you believe in and for what you want.
12. Say I love you every day to the people you love.

My grandmother's last years were hell, and I would never have wished them on my worst enemy. I hope that wherever she is now, she is comfortable and content and surrounded by love. I hope that if she was reincarnated, she will take advantage of the things she did not in this life. I hope she takes better care of herself. And I hope she loves just as much as she did here.

I love my Grammy so much, and I miss her dearly. But I'm glad her struggle is over.
Goodbye, Grammy, and thank you for everything you gave me and all the love you poured on me.

Your Yayden.

A non-smoker's guide to hanging with smokers...

2006-02-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

At the risk of further inflaming an already sensitive topic with one very good friend of mine who I love dearly, I must post.

I have had smoker friends for more than half my life. In fact, all but one of my past lovers (and my darling Ili, although she's quit) have been smokers. But I've never really had the problem I now have: the "feeling-like-I-have-to-shower-twice-a-day-to-wash-the-smell-off" problem. Oh, and the "crap-I'm-going-to-die-from-second-hand-smoke-inhalation" problem.

Damn. This weekend, ili and I had a discussion and agreed that we were tired of coming home smelling like an ashtray, and that we were going to see if our friend (who shall remain nameless until she no doubt posts a fuck-you comment) would be okay with sitting in non-smoking when we go to a certain restaurant, which everyone knows we go to all the time, from now on. We feel that it's only fair; we don't smoke, and we shouldn't have to smell like it, not to mention risk the serious and very real detriment to our health. If she wants to smoke, we don't feel like we should have to sit in it, since ili quit because she knew it was time to take her health seriously, and I've never smoked because I know what it will do to me.

Is this unreasonable?? Is it too much to ask to want to spend time with our best friend but be healthy? I think not. Yet the thought seemed to upset her, and I had to fight very hard against the instinct to apologize. For what? I love spending time with her and would hate to lose that. But come on.

What say ya peoples?

Oh right, so on to my
Non-Smoker's Guide to Hanging with Smokers:
1. Keep plenty of body wash on hand for multiple showers a day.
2. If you have allergies or asthma, carry an inhaler and some Claritin-D at all times.
3. Be prepared to be guilt-tripped for being healthy.
4. Practice biting your tongue at night so you don't suffer from speaking-your-mind syndrome at otherwise pleasant functions during the day.
5. Get a good retirement plan and set aside extra funds for emphizema treatments when you're 80.
6. Get extra cancer coverage for when you're 35 and undergoing chemo.
7. Remember: you're not the addict, so you don't know what it's like and therefore apparently have no valid opinion.
8. Get your pets used to the smell so they don't reject you.
9. Tell your parents ahead of time that it's your friends, not you, so you don't get lectured, even though you will get lectured anyway.
10. Don't post inflammatory anti-smoking blog posts...it will annoy your smoker friends.

~J~

I need to start a band!

2006-02-06T08:05:00.000-08:00

Ok people I need a band. I have got to find work that does NOT require me to use my hands 8 hours a day. So I need to do what I went to school for anyway. Who's with me? I want to sing blues and r&b and soul and pop. So that would be called, what, SoPoBlurbsion?!

I need a guitarist or three, a pianist, a drummer, and someone to help me write songs. Let me know if you're interested or know someone who is. NO SLEATER KINNEY sing-a-likes or anything like that. No garage band wailing on the guitar making it sound like distortion hell. No screaming of any kind. And no, I will not sing like Bjork. Ever.
I prefer acoustic sounds and tend to stay far from anything that sounds synthesized (even if it is synthesized).

Now that you know how picky I am, any takers? If anything, I need to get the group back together (Jenny, ili, Mel?) and play around. Jenny, I'm going to find the tablature for Wildflower for you.

Ok people, see ya soon!
~J~

SLACKING...back by popular demand...

2006-01-30T08:59:00.000-08:00

Hello, well I've been commanded to write a new post. So here it is. I should be working, but duty calls, my public awaits. Thank you, thank you...oh no no please, stop. No more pictures...BACK OFF!!!

Sorry, had a moment.

So I got a lead on something...those of you who know my situation know what I mean, can't get into detail in case I'm being watched...the "others" might get me. You'll see me traipsing through the woods with my teddy bear...sorry, Lost moment.

Wow I'm full of moments today.

So it's a glorious day and all I want to do is be outside. Damn! I feel like such a little kid lately! I don't want to go to bed, I don't want to work...I think I'm headed toward an early midlife crisis. If you see me dressing ili in a mini skirt and driving her around in a red mustang, you'll know I've gone off the deep end. Of course, if you really know me, you'll know that the fact that this post is in PINK is a sign that I've lost it.

Hee hee hee. Aaaaaah hahahahahahahaha! Have a great day everyone...

Sex, Lies & Videotape

2006-01-27T09:26:00.000-08:00

I've decided to make today's post title more like all of Carri's, to see if it intrigues people. :P

So ok I had rockin sex last night, as usual...yay! This is soooo karma catching up with me. I had NO sex for like six years, and now I get it all the time. See people, patience is indeed a virtue. Hee hee...

My work is still crazy. People are dropping like flies...quitting or being fired or whatever, and the ones that are still here are losing their little minds. And there's so much backstabbing that I have no idea who to trust. I just do my job and keep my head under the radar as much as possible. I figure as long as I do a bang-up job, then the focus will be on the people who aren't.

And finally, video tapes. I mean, seriously, does anyone buy them anymore? And if so, why? They suck!

Ok people, tawk amongst yaselves...here's a topic...what the hell is up with Michael Jackson and do his kids stand an ice cube's chance in hell at being normal and well adjusted??

~J~

The Day After the Worst Day Ever...

2006-01-24T12:25:00.000-08:00

Hee hee...well Carri said that Jenny said that yesterday was supposed to be the worst day of the year...and my day wasn't all that bad, so I guess that means the whole year is going to be AWESOME if yesterday was the worst! Yay!!!
But ili had a really crappy day and so did Carri and Jenny, so that sucks. ili said: "Well I'm glad that's over!"
Today, however, I feel like killing one of my coworkers to put myself out of my own misery. I swear to god, she has peppered me with the most annoying questions all fucking day long!!! Aaaaaahhhh!
Speaking of which, I guess my lunch is over and I should get back to work. See everyone later...

:)

~J~

Insanity...and other stuff

2006-01-23T12:37:00.000-08:00

Well after much consideration, I decided to delete my last post, because, well, it seemed like a smart thing to do. I don't trust the people at my work to keep out of my blog, because they do keep track of what websites we visit, and if someone decided to look at my activity, they'd find my blog, and then...well, you know.

Anyway, it's my lunch time, so I'm updating. I do work at an insane asylum, and most people I work with, including the owner, would probably agree.

On a totally different topic, I have a speculation: what if all the water is all we have, and it's continually just recycling itself through our planet, and once we get to a point where the population has grown too large for the existing water supply to accomodate it, we just all start dying off from lack of water? Or what if our current death rate is perfectly timed so that enough people die off each year to ensure a constant flow to everyone else? Just a thought. I think being in charge of the water department in a government has got to be one of the most stressful jobs on the planet, because it's essentially the only product whose supply is totally uncontrollable. I mean, we just sit and hope for rain, don't we? If rain doesn't come, we get no water. We can't exactly MAKE MORE, can we? There's only so much hydrogen and oxygen to go around, isn't there? Hmmmmm...

Ok here's another random topic: I think the ability to love is the single most important lesson we all must learn in life. To love unconditionally and totally. We are by nature a gregarious species. We must have human companionship in order to survive and be sane. We must learn to love, or our souls will perish. Think about it. None of us, regardless of our religious/spiratual beliefs, knows what will happen when we die, because none of us have died and lived to tell about it. So we must by default assume that this is it. When we die, that's it. Because I don't care what you believe, the ONLY thing you can assume is that you won't get another chance to live this life again. Ok given that, what must you do to make sure you lived a good life? To make sure it was worth it in the end? To know you made a dent in this life? You must love. Everything else is material, and when you really think about it, pointless and ridiculous.

And let me further point out that love takes many forms. You can love your significant other by treating them with respect and caring for them through thick and thin. You can love a family member by keeping in touch and supporting their goals and ambitions. You can love mankind by volunteering to help people in need.

I am fortunate to have been taught to love deeply since birth. I told my mom this Christmas that she did an amazing job raising me, because above all, she taught me to love. I truly believe that. My mother is a great woman.

Happy Monday, everyone.

~J~

2006, Here I Come!!!

2006-01-06T12:14:00.000-08:00

Happy 2006, everyone!

I have designated 2006 as the Year of Resolution, as many of you know.
I know so many people who experienced big changes in 2005, myself included. This year will be the healing...the year to resolve, get the proper footing, and move on to bigger and better things.

So what are your goals for 2006?
Mine are to get involved in music on a regular basis, write and arrange at least 4 songs, work out and/or run 3-5 days a week, run in at least three 5Ks, call my friends and family more often, make a new friend, and a few others. I went big on the resolutions this year, simply because I know I can do them and want to better myself.

I'm having a movie fest this weekend. Harry Potter with my dad tonight, and Hostel (horror flick) with my dad and ili late tomorrow night. Fun!

Have to get back to work. Hoping to leave early today.

Have a great week, and a successful and prosperous and loving year!

~J~

Pictures of me!

2005-12-28T14:40:00.000-08:00

My mom wanted to see pictures of my office, so I thought I'd post them here...with a couple of myself, too.

My office...

This bookshelf wouldn't be mine without the Muppet and Looney Tunes finger puppets from Starbucks...

Me...

Me being silly...

Take care, everyone!
~J~

Merry Xmas!!!

2005-12-25T08:34:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas morning, and we've opened all our presents...I got a couple of movies and a CD and an iPod Shuffle, which I really wanted! So I'm happy. I got ili a watch and a ring and a sweatshirt and a bracelet. She liked everything. So a successful xmas! Yay!

I hope everyone has a great day.

~J~

December 19th...and I still have to shop!

2005-12-19T07:50:00.000-08:00

Dammit, I haven't gotten a thing for my ili and there are exactly 6 shopping days left til Christmas! I'm starting to stress.
I have been a terrible granddaughter. I haven't called Grammy & Poppy in at least a month, I think, and since my grandmother is in terrible health, it's a travesty that I haven't picked up the phone. Everyone tell me what a schmuck I am. I WILL call them tonight. Hold me to that.
I have finished shopping for my mom, Vanessa (my cousin), my family's secret santa, and the woman and baby that I adopted from a women's shelter. I think that's it, and I have everyone else to shop for. Aaaarrrrggghhh!!!
I took an awesome hip hop class last week that kicked my butt and left me wanting more (SOOO FUN!)...so now I'm going back with 5 friends. Hee hee. We're going to take that class by storm tonight! Yay!
Ok must get to work. Lots to do...
~J~

Tiki & Boo Visit Santa!

2005-12-14T12:54:00.000-08:00

Too many cooks...

2005-12-14T12:46:00.000-08:00

Hey! So my job is pretty cool...but it has Too Many Cooks Syndrome. Do you know what I'm talking about?? So much red tape and about 53 opinions, some from the same people, before you can get anything done! The cool thing is, I get to create stuff all day. I'm a graphic designer at a pharmacy company in Dallas, and even if my first, second, tenth designs are sent back for redesigns (because 28 people have different ideas of what it should look like), in the end I get to say I'm an artist, and no one mistakes me for being an assistant, which is what I hated about my last job.

So really I can't complain! :)

Have a great Wednesday, everyone...
~J~

Happy Monday!!!

2005-12-12T07:31:00.000-08:00

Well good morning and happy Monday!
I had another great weekend...my friend had a xmas party on Saturday night, and I floated through it on Bacardi Os and tequila jello shots, and woke up hung over as all hell yesterday. But I had so much fun that night that it was (sort of) worth it. :)
Yesterday I got to see my friend Debbie and a couple of friends of hers...and ili hooked up with an elderly guy who knows virtually everything to know about astrology, so she's going to meet with him this weekend to learn stuff...very cool. I am very fond of and impressed by ili's passion for astrology...she's pretty knowledgeable in that area already.
Ok must go to work.

Question of the day: do you think that the way a person drives their car is indicative of the kind of person they are? Explain your answer.

~J~

just another saturday morning in december...

2005-12-10T05:56:00.000-08:00

It's 8AM on Saturday and ili is trying to sleep with Tiki and Boo using her for a jungle gym/snuggle spot/boxing ring. I have a stupid brace on my arm and it's making it difficult to type, but I'm being disciplined and not typing without it. :)

Today I will run an errand and then we're going for free breakfast at our apartment complex, and we have our first xmas party of the month tonight. Should be fun!

No one has commented on my Lion/Witch/Wardrobe diatribe...dammit...

It's supposed to be a beautiful day here...not freezing like it has been, but in the 50s. I'm excited about Christmas coming! We need to get a tree...and start shopping!

So is anyone besides us excited about the upcoming release of Brokeback Mountain??? It's not coming out here until next week, but I hear it's out in other parts of the country. We can't wait to see it...I'd like to go on opening night because it will be gay central at every theater. Yay!

Post a comment if you'd like...
~J~

Chronicles of Narnia...NOT the Bible, fools.

2005-12-09T10:11:00.000-08:00

Hey there, I have a beef. Anyone who knows me knows I'm wayyyy anti-organized religion. So I have a comment to make. I just reread The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in anticipation of the movie, since it has special meaning to me. My dad read the entire series to my brother and me when we were little.

Now believe me, as I was reading this volume, I was LOOKING for any similarities to the Bible, to Jesus, etc. And I found just one: Aslan dies and comes back to life.

PEOPLE...Gandalf from Lord of the Rings dies and comes back to life. Dionysus died and came back to life in a story very much like Jesus' but written hundreds of years before Jesus was born. Countless other MYTHS AND FANTASIES involve people dying and coming back.

But my point is, that's pretty much the only similarity between Aslan and Jesus, so I think all the religious freaks out there who are diefying these books should think again, and those who won't see the movie or read the books because they think the books are religion-based, should read them because they really are great stories.

That's my diatribe. Have at it...

It's Friday!

2005-12-09T08:19:00.000-08:00

Yay yay yay it's Friday! I had the day off yesterday because everything was frozen due to the ice storm we had on Wednesday...and ili was off, too. So we had a great day together hanging out at Starbucks along with all the other people who didn't go to work.
I'm back at work today and it should be fairly quiet.
Who's started their Christmas shopping??? Not me. Hee hee.
Got to get back to work. Write a comment and tell me something about your day!
~J~

I'm a blogger!!!

2005-12-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

Well today I start my blog. Not sure if mine will be as active as IllySpilly's (see link at right), but we'll see. This will be a good way to keep in touch with all the people I vow each day to stay in touch with but just don't for whatever reason.

Keep coming back...I'll have MUCH more interesting things to say next time. :)

Feel free to visit my website for more info about me and what I do, and to find the link to Ili's Blog.