Go Christmas, Go Hanukkah!!!

I love to mock me some super cool American Apparel wearing hipsters!

Brain Dump

There's too much rattling around in my brain. Time for a brain/observation/information/nonsense dump. The one and only reason I find a blog essential.

- I feel so free and so alone these days it's almost like I'm floating.

- Nothing feels the way it did pre-Europe. It's official. My life will forever be measured in time increments including (but not limited to) Pre and Post Europe.

- I've been worried about sounding like a pompous turd when I say shit like, "do you really think that matters?" Yet I still find myself unable to think anything different.

- I have attained this absurd level of apathy that I kind of hate, but also kind of love. It's liberating, but I've noticed more and more that the better acquainted you become with liberation, the better acquainted you become with loneliness.

- I feel connected to nothing and everything.

- I'm totally conflicted.

- I feel warm and fuzzy all the time, and I don't know why.

- I feel like I'm stoned all the time, only ... I'm not.

- I haven't drank much (or even had the urge to) since I've been home. Weird.

- In discovering more of my roots, I feel more rootless then ever (and that's okay).

- I want to travel more.

- I want EVERYONE to travel more.

- I wish people would really figure out priorities. Myself included. Life is short, and wonderful if you let it be so. Don't wish your life away. In stead of saying on a Tuesday, "I wish it were Friday", figure out how to make Wednesday and Thursday worthwhile too.

- I have no use for or interest in people with a lack of intellectual curiosity. You don't have to be an intellectual giant. You just have to be curious. Bring something to the table or just ... well ... find the nearest frat party.

- Quality of thought and a sense of humor and humility are key.

- Don't take yourself, or anyone else for that matter, too seriously!

- People have abused the irony concept to the point that it's not even recognizable anymore. I'm not sure if that's a blessing or a curse.

- You probably shouldn't walk into cathedrals and gasp, "Jesus Christ"! Poor taste!

- I have the best friends in the world. And I've started to become the ultimate narcissist by believing that I must have some pretty amazing qualities myself (lord knows what they are) in order to have amassed such an incredible group. Otherwise, they would have drop kicked my ass by now. As they should.

- This blog, is self-absorbed, confusing, stream of conscience, arrogant, and no matter how ignorant it may sound it's completely true at this moment.

what are words for?

They say the definition of crazy is to repeat the same behavior over and over, expecting a different result. I try to remember this on a fairly regular basis, because I tend to be a creature of habit. I think most people are. The reason I type this though, isn't because of me, it's because of what I have recently noticed others doing. Too often I hear from friends who are "shocked, shocked I tell you," when they repeat behavior that has once burned them and they end up getting the same unwanted result. This seems ... counter-productive, counter-intuitive, and in some cases just flat-out dumb!

I think this translates into inter-personal/conversational behavior as well.

I know a number of people who dumb-down their conversations just to get through a night. It goes a number of ways. You might dumb-down your conversation because you think that's what people want to hear. You might think it makes you really attractive and "cute"/"hot" to be dumb as a bag of hammers! You might be forced to dumb-down your conversation so you don't have to end up in a bar-fight, or you might have to do it just to maintain a flowing conversation because your conversational counterpart can't keep up. And the list goes on, but the list isn't the point ... the point is this ... if you find yourself regularly in these situations, do you think it might be a good idea to rethink the people you've been chatting up?

Maybe the venue has changed, but if the conversations are remaining the same aren't you just talking to the same person occupying a different vessel? And clearly ... if you do this over and over again, the conversation isn't so satisfying.

I used to dance

b-day week!

I've been meaning to post a birthday blog for a couple of days now, but I think I needed to officially recover and compartmentalize. The actual day was Tuesday, but festivities began the Sunday before, with a lovely football/birthday lunch. Rumors started to fly about nonsense I won't discuss here, but suffice it to say that it's really hard to remain sympathetic and to keep that happy-face in tact when someone who is supposed to be your friend is hoping for less than stellar affairs for you. But I digress...

Monday was fairly mellow save this one awesome moment. Justin kept asking me what I wanted. I could think of two things: a camera (a kind of over-the-top expense for someone whose heart you've broken... more than once), and some (super sexy) silk long-john underwear (for my London trip). He asked me my sizes and all that and went on his merry way. I got home from work, and he had this gift bag waiting for me. He said "look what I found on my way home. I want to give it to you right now." I really did not want him to. I like surprises. I like that delicious anticipation you feel when you know you're about to get something, but you have to wait. Well, in his INFINITE wisdom (beyond his 14 years) Jamie said, "well, you were born in England right?". Jenn says, "yes!" Jamie, "Well... it's Tuesday in England right now. It's technically your birthday". Huzzah! I'd been rocked by a 14 year old. Sweet! So as I went to open the gift, Justin said, "It's reeeeaaallyy silky". So I got pissed and said, "what the hell is wrong with you? You always do this shit! It's like IMPOSSIBLE for you to allow me to enjoy a surprise. Forget it, I'm not opening it!" Like a proper whiny brat/bitch! He laughed and just pushed the bag toward me. As resigned as I could, I opened up the gift to find an amazing new canon powershot! I was SHOCKED!!! It was such a pleasant surprise. Also, I have to say, it's pretty amazing that this is the camera I ended up with. I've bought 2 digital cameras in the past 4 years or so and I hate them both. I decided after I bought the second one, that I'd ONLY buy a powershot from that moment on. He had no idea which camera I wanted, so... well done sir, well done!

Tuesday was also fairly tame. It is exactly how I wanted my actual birthday to go. Mary brought me a gift and instead of a cake, she went to Boudin and bought me a loaf of sourdough french bread and shoved a candle in it! Bomb! Perhaps a bit phallic, but still... bomb! Overall, nothing high-maintenance, just some face-time w/ some friends, some catching up, and some food.

Wednesday a group of 11 of us (I lied to the reservation lady) headed to Benihana for some grubs and some celebration! Carrie, Amanda, Theresa, Jamie, Rob, Josh, Davina, Tyson, Trager, Justin, and myself! Super-fun times, and yum yum scallops. For the record, Carrie is definitely the best person to sit next to when you go to Benihana. Tyson baked me a KILLER cake. It was ddeeeeeeelish!!! He sent me the cutest text ever too. Something about how he messed up what was supposed to be the world most "m-woriest cake". My friends are awesome! Just sayin'...

Thursday... I think I might just let this one go... well... I'll keep it brief and vague (mainly because that's how I remember it). Let's see... karaoke... surprise visitors... and not just one or two... MANY! Chunks of my night have gone missing. I told Suzi after I had drank two cocktails (one being straight Jameson) to cut me off from liquor consumption and leave me with beer only. Apparently, if it comes in a small enough glass, she doesn't consider that liquor (i.e. shots are A-OK!), and I assure you, they flowed like wine. The only reason I know I sang, no I'm sorry, SCREAMED "Proud Mary", is because I have video of it on my fancy new camera. *I* haven't even used that function yet... thanks. Video was shot that I did not authorize, and asked to be turned off three times (at least), and that COMPLETELY mortifies me every time I see it. For some sort of train-wreck-related reason, I can't delete it though. Usually if there are hazy parts of my night, someone will tell me what happened and it'll trigger a memory. In this case, I can actually watch video of myself and I STILL don't remember it. If I offended anyone... sorry. In case you were unsure, I'm pretty much the most fun drunk person ever. And by most fun, I mean I'm most likely to completely embarrass myself, but laughter is gonna happen! Don't worry mom, I didn't drive. xoxo.

Friday - I slept until about 1:45PM. I tried my best to recover before work, and then the texts/calls came. There were a number of texts I received on Friday asking me if I remembered (insert random act of retardation and/or inappropriate drunkenness here), and of course I did not. There were a couple of points where I actually had to excuse myself from what I was doing so I could compose myself and turn a less obvious shade of red/purple. Later on in the day I got to see, "Where the Wild Things Are" with Josh, Justin, and Jamie. It was a fantastic way to kind of round out my completely ridiculous week. Until this point, my week had started off so nice and mellow, and ended in complete black-out/hangover! I needed to bring it back down a notch or 36. Mission Accomplished!

Oooo but I did get to slip in someone's puke at the movie theatre... that's always fun for the whole family! I mean really... who pukes in the doorway to the ladies room of an Edwards movie theatre???? Nobody could walk in or out without slipping in it, SO GROSS!!!! *shiver*

This week: 1 - chill the "F" out. 2 - pack. 3 - sort out some DJing set-lists. 4 - Fly out to NYC/CT (Friday - Monday).

... and now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

If you can't handle crazy, go ahead & leave!

my current theme song (at least since Dec. 2008). it sounds all sassy... until... the truth hits.

Those Darlins, "Wild One"

Lyrics:

i may be a little darling gal of yours

that's when i'm straight and sober, and both feet are on the floor

but sometimes when the booze grabs a hold of me

i get the devil in my eyes and i'm running wild and free

if you don't want a wild one, quit hanging 'round with me

you knew right from the start that's my personality

if you can't handle crazy, go ahead and leave

if you don't want a wild one, quit hanging 'round with me

i may be the sweetheart you dreamt of all your life

well, just 'cause i'm sweet, don't mean i'm always nice

i'm tired of you telling me, "honey, please slow down."

i do just what i want, so don't order me around

if you don't want a wild one, quit hanging 'round with me

you knew right from the start that's my personality

if you can't handle crazy, go ahead and leave

if you don't want a wild one, quit hanging 'round with me

i may be a fool to act the way i do

even though i'm crazy, i'm still a fool for you

so grab my hands, let's go dance, baby you've got to see

letting loose ain't that hard so come get wild with me

if you don't want a wild one, quit hanging 'round with me

you knew right from the start that's my personality

if you can't handle crazy, go ahead and leave

if you don't want a wild one, quit hanging 'round with me

________________________

This thought came in with the breeze on (this gorgeous, lazy, cool) Sunday morning:

Most of the time, when someone asks you to leave or suggests that you stop hanging out, it seems like they don't like you anymore or maybe they're upset with you for some reason. But every once in a great while, I think it may be the complete opposite. Maybe they like you so much it actually becomes hard for them to be around you without completely losing a piece of themselves in you. Sure it's a defense mechanism, and maybe it's not an ideal way to lead your life, but it's amazing what self-preservation can make a person do.

I'm sure the "(S)He's Just Not That Into You", people would beg to differ. We'd be even.

This is pretty gross stuff!

Plutonomy

Citigroup Mar 5 2006 Plutonomy Report Part 2

The Glenn Beck phenomena

I read a very interesting article about Glenn Beck today. There's an op-ed writer who writes for the New York Times, names Frank Rich, who has some really good pieces and this mornings was no exception. After reading some of his insights though, I was compelled to dig up a couple of Glenn Becks more memorable tirades/breakdowns, and remind anyone who might read this, just how full of shit, and hypocritical, and self-absorbed this joke of a human-life really is.

I'll start with sharing the article, called "Even Glenn Beck is right twice a day".

Now allow me to either (dependent upon your history with the man) refresh your memory, or enlighten you to who this man really is.

This is one of his more melodramatic, I consumed far too much scotch/barbituates before the show, moments:

He did a great job of "catapulting the propaganda" to produce a national disgrace of an event called the 9/12 project. He thought it would be nice to have an event where the people of this great nation came together again, like they did on 9/12. Well, I have 2 videos for you Master Hypocrite! Choke on your own words! You have done more to tear apart and divide this nation than you could ever do to bring it together. You would have to be someone people could actually understand and respect and not worry might break down into a fit of tears and complete mental collapse right before their very eyes, in order to bring people of so many backgrounds and belief systems together. You don't love this country... you love YOUR PERSONAL VERSION of this country.... which involves being a mormon ex-drunk MIDDLE AGED WHITE GUY!!!!! You make me ill!

Video #1 - in which you get a nice sampling of the kind and friendly folk who wanted to revisit the glory of 9/12. The people who put this together did a REALLY great job. They didn't taunt or condescend at all. They asked all the right questions, and had all the facts in tow... like a real journalist, not a cheap rodeo clown!

And for video #2 - get ready. This is his tour de force. He gladly, and proudly admits to hating 9/11 victims and calls Katrina victims scumbags. WOW!!! But he's the compassionate, weepy one right? I don't think so. This guy should be ashamed of himself, and forced off the air. The damage he does is so deep, yet so subversive people don't even know it's happening. It's not that he's a genius either... more like an idiot savant. Shame on you Mr. Beck. You are no patriot. Stop fooling yourself!

WARNING: Very graphic video including 9/11 and Katrina footage.

To counter some of the pain and hate in the last video, I'll post this one which is actually QUITE entertaining. For the record, the word is spelled O-L-I-G-A-R-C-H-Y, and I didn't even have to look it up. Maybe someone who works on his show should have helped him out a little? I don't know, but the fact that this was taped, and aired, tells me a lot about the people he works with. They can't possibly like him.

Allow me to leave you with one last tirade. This one is fairly recent, but I have to add it for comedy value. He's so rude and condescending immediately, where does he expect it to go? It devolves into his screaming like a sissy-lady for this poor woman to "get off my phone"!!! It's pretty amusing actually, but still just listen to his voice dripping with sarcasm and filth.

So really???? This is the compassionate caring guy who just loves his country? Bullshit! This is a guy who would dupe you as far as he could, and take you for everything you've got. Unless you were a minority, in which case, he'd still dupe you, but he'd just hope for you to vote the way he wants you to. He wouldn't sit next to you in the waiting room of his doctors office, let alone take you for ALL you've got.

"tea-bagger" leader vs. gergen & carville = priceless

Stay Classy Opposition, Stay Classy!

It's all in the lips! *repeat*

What are these girls doing to their faces??? Or more specifically, their lips!

Lindsey Lohan used to be cute!

Megan Fox was friggin' GORGEOUS in the first Transformers, and now she's beginning to look as artificial as she acts.

AND NICOLE KIDMAN!!! MY SWEET Hey-Seuss Cristo!!! She was always a beautiful woman, she was aging so well... and then, this!!!! WHY NICOLE? WHY?!?!?!?

What is it that makes these women, who start off better looking than most anything that roams this wild landscape, think they need some kind of artificial implant, or injection???

Morbid

Top 1 Percent of Americans Reaped Two-Thirds of Income Gains in Last Economic Expansion
Income Concentration in 2007 Was at Highest Level Since 1928, New Analysis Shows
Average income gains, adjusted for inflation, between 2002 - 2007:
* the top 1 percent of earners, saw a 61.8% increase
* the top 0.1% saw an astounding 94.1% increase
* while the bottom 90% saw a measly 3.4% increase.

This is just revolting. More proof that trickle-down/voo-doo economics is not much more than a license to exercise greed!

Wall Street Pursues Profit in Bundles of Life Insurance

If this doesn't make you sick to your stomach, I'm not sure anything will! These people are SICK!!! To gamble on peoples life insurance plans is absolutely revolting. And yet, the catch phrase of August was "Death Panels" and magically they attached it to Obama! Projection much?

Matt Taibbi's Response to the Above Article

Excerpt: "What’s very amusing about this New York Times article is that, while describing this, there is no passage that reads anything like, “This utterly insane plan, which will condemn all those involved with it to an eternity of elaborate torment in the afterlife, is ironically being promoted by the very institutions that only just recently tried to destroy the world by creating similar casino-like gambits based on home ownership.”

Extra Extra Read all About it!!! (Photos - NSFW)

Here's a bunch of relevant info for our day and times... at the bottom (while still informative) I've added a little treat for you all.

*light green = links!

Scary! NYT Opinion Piece: A Threat to Fair Elections - This is going backwards. We do need campaign finance reform, but NOT in the direction of allowing MORE money from MORE corporate/union interests.

The Bush Tax Cuts Cost Two and a Half Times as Much as the

House Democrats’ Health Care Proposal - But Obama's the redistributor of wealth In Chief, right?

More on the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy vs. House Dem. health care proposal

U.S. Forces in Iraq Beginning to Leave, Need for Private Guards Grows - which seems like a really good idea considering Afghanistan's recent run in with private, corporate Guards!!! Guards Gone Wild!

Click the link, but I'll post a few of my faves. FYI - NOT SAFE FOR WORK!!!

It's truly shocking that a fact checking organization is needed to prove that - Barack Obama is not the first President to Address Schoolchildren

Rescission: When your health insurance provider decides it's time they don't want to cover you anymore.

And the big daddy of the day... Matt Taibbi's unbelievable, RIGHT-ON, assessment of our sick and twisted Health Care Battle!!! Like Sir Mix-a-Lot, it's long, and it's strong and it's down to get the friction on! It's something you might even want to print out and take with you to those places we don't speak of simply because it's a lengthy read, but it is so completely dense with information and wisdom I recommend it to everyone I know, even the opposition!

After being good boys and girls, and reading up on the relevant stuff, I'm staying good to my word and linking you a treat. I now follow it myself! :)

Integrity is not an Accessory!

Matt Taibbi Rocks it again!!!

EVERYONE should read this. It is long and from time to time a bit rough to read, but it is so dense with valuable information, it BEGS attention!

Sick and Wrong: How Washington is screwing up health care reform, and why it may take a revolt to fix it!

Some excerpts:

"Let's start with the obvious: America has not only the worst but the dumbest health care system in the developed world. It's become a black leprosy eating away at the American experiment — a bureaucracy so insipid and mean and illogical that even our darkest criminal minds wouldn't be equal to dreaming it up on purpose."

"In the real world, nothing except a single-payer system makes any sense. There are currently more than 1,300 private insurers in this country, forcing doctors to fill out different forms and follow different reimbursement procedures for each and every one. This drowns medical facilities in idiotic paperwork and jacks up prices: Nearlya third of all health care costs in America are associated with wasteful administration. Fully $350 billion a year could be saved on paperwork alone if the U.S. went to a single-payer system — more than enough to pay for the whole goddamned thing, if anyone had the balls to stand up and say so."

"Will wasn't the only prominent opponent of reform openly arguing in favor of the insurance industry's right to continue doing business inefficiently. Sen. Ben Nelson, who together with Baucus are the Laverne and Shirley of turncoat Democrats, complained that the public option "would win the game." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell admitted that "private insurance will not be able to compete with a government option." This is a little like complaining that Keanu Reeves was robbed of an Oscar just because he can't act."

"To recap, here's what ended up happening with health care. First, they gave away single-payer before a single gavel had fallen, apparently as a bargaining chip to the very insurers mostly responsible for creating the crisis in the first place. Then they watered down the public option so as to make it almost meaningless, while simultaneously beefing up the individual mandate, which would force millions of people now uninsured to buy a product that is no longer certain to be either cheaper or more likely to prevent them from going bankrupt. The bill won't make drugs cheaper, and it might make paperwork for doctors even more unwieldy and complex than it is now. In fact, the various reform measures suck so badly that PhRMA, the notorious mouthpiece for the pharmaceutical industry which last year spent more than $20 million lobbying against health care reform, is now gratefully spending more than seven times that much on a marketing campaign to help the president get what he wants."

"Then again, some of the blame has to go to all of us. It's more than a little conspicuous that the same electorate that poured its heart out last year for the Hallmark-card story line of the Obama campaign has not been seen much in this health care debate. The handful of legislators — the Weiners, Kuciniches, Wydens and Sanderses — who are fighting for something real should be doing so with armies at their back. Instead, all the noise is being made on the other side. Not so stupid after all — they, at least, understand that politics is a fight that does not end with the wearing of a T-shirt in November."

C'mon people, really? Some of the things these people are saying include such nonsensical, insane material it really does sadden me. They're reciting flat-out talking points. I do have to say though... I think they're all going to be really sad when they realize their fearless leaders (?) may have blown their wad a little too soon.

And the missing letter is???

You have to be a special breed of dumb, to take this schmuck seriously. Even his own crew doesn't take him seriously enough to let him know that he consistently makes a giant ass of himself! In only the past couple of weeks almost FIFTY companies have pulled ads from his show. HAH! Shenanigans only get you so far!

Michael Moore's, "Capitalism: A Love Story"

I'm looking forward to it!

"America's Affordable Health Choices Act (HR 3200) will end the Hidden Health Care Tax"

Taken from the article:

This year, every insured American family will pay $1,017 -- and insured singles will pay $368 per year -- in insurance premiums just to cover the medical expenses of the uninsured.

http://edlabor.house.gov/blog/2009/08/hidden-health-care-tax.shtml

This woman is shameful!

What is WRONG with people these days? I mean really, freedom of speech is one thing, but to be so inconsiderate and disrespectful of your fellow man, is just shameful! I'm telling you, it's the fact that people have softened up on their ass-kicking! Used to be a day when you screamed some completely insulting jibberish someone's way, you'd get a sock in the mouth. I think it's time to reconsider the merits of such behavior!

August 17th, 2009

This was one of my worst days of 2009:




Woke up early for spin class, only to be told that the class was full, and I'd have to be put on a wait list. If somebody with a reservation didn't make it, I could take that spot. News which left me completely downtrodden because it had been three full weeks since my last class. And I loves me some spin. (Luckily though, I got in at the last second.)

Next, got home from spin to a post-it stuck to my door, informing me that a package I've been DYING to get back from the British Embassy was there to be dropped off, but it required a signature, and since I missed it, I was going to have to wait another day. I have been working on getting my passport from the British Embassy all year Starting in January. It's been a devastatingly long, drawn out, arduous process that makes me often-times want to hurt things or people, not excluding myself.







About 20 minutes later, there was a knock at my door. I answered it and it was the UPS guy. YAY, right? I was very excited. He asked me for a cigarette. Apparently, he could see by the smoking patio I have cultivated (an ashtray monument, if you will - Thank you Blake!) that smokers occupied the building. I was fine with sharing though, because the guy had brought me my long awaited passport. Or so I thought. I opened up the fancy-pants overnight envelope with that effortless, rip of the "pull here" tab, only to find all of the paperwork I had originally sent out to D.C. staring back at me. I was crushed! I was angry! I was livid! I wanted to pull my hair out from it's roots! And then I cried... and cried... and then I gathered myself, spoke to a few people on the phone who were worried about me... breathed deeply... and cried again.

I eventually gathered myself. I decided crying was no way to handle it. I'd just have to work a little harder than everyone else does (which is a SERIOUS theme in my life) to get the same result. I cleaned myself up and headed out to work.




My High School BFF, Carrie, and I used to go to Jack in the Box and order Teriyaki Chicken Bowls at the most precarious of times in the day. I decided a Teriyaki Chicken Bowl would be the cauterizing agent for my recent stab to the soul. On my way to work, I picked one up. I got to work, opened it up, and proceeded to launch teriyaki slop all over my lap. Nice way to rock your workday. I promise. Teriyaki slop all over your nether-junk, is super attractive. All the boys come-a-runnin'.


I struggled through the rest of my work day. Basically, trudging through the day like a soldier through chest-deep mud. Just biding my time until I could get myself home. I decided to finally get started on the blog I've been meaning to get up and running for about a year or so now. I figured it would be a good way to distract me, and it'd be really hard for me to hurt myself or anyone else while doing so. I got about half-way through and then realized it was time to head home.







I got home, and the internet wasn't working.

Now granted, I know all of these things in this day, probably seem kind of small. But to me, the passport thing is an issue that can't be paralleled. It means EVERYTHING to me. If I can't get out of this country, SOON, I'm gonna lose it! My goal was to get my ass to London by the end of 2009. It's where I was born, I have family out there, and I really think it's an amazing city (architecturally, historically, culturally). I just don't want to be there in winter. Cold cold cold. More than that though, in general, all I want to do in this life, is travel (run up insane room service bills, and break something in multiple countries)... and the one thing I've been told over and over again, is that I can't!







I'm done with other people telling me what I can and can't do. I'm going. Watch! The saga continues....

I veto August 17th from this day forward!

P.S. For more thorough information (if you happen to be interested) here's a detailed description of at least PART of my DECADE LONG SAGA from www.facebook.com/jennsbook - http://www.facebook.com/note.php?saved&&suggest&note_id=102052497340