Purpose

Well, I'm back.

Turns out we're pretty bad at this "consistency" thing. Sorry about it. Good thing we're our only public.

The biggest thing on my mind tonight is goals. I've been thinking a lot about goals these days. Moving and getting a job and all that stuff had been a big goal of mine. So I got here and I was working on securing things and getting comfortable with everything. Then it started coming together and I got that old familiar feeling of something that was missing. Well, I think I've pegged it. I think it's time again for goals. I've got some ideas in mind and I'm pretty excited about them. I think I'll wax on about it more in depth in my personal blog. Here I just want to talk mostly about how important I've come to realize goals are (to me, at least). I think people need to have something they're working towards or they're done for. Without goals is maybe when we start to feel lost and wonder what the point to everything is. But if we're striving and reaching and adapting and developing, it seems like there really is a point. Or maybe we're just too occupied to think otherwise. Who knows.

Anyway, I'm excited. I've referenced this quote before, but it goes something along the lines of "I love to travel much more than I love to arrive." You know, it basically is saying that the journey towards the goal is where the adventure is and it's by actually getting to the goal that we learn the most. I mostly can't wait to start some new travels.

you know its been awhile when...

yea so, i forgot our password and login info. not so much the password, more just the login... took me three tries. that's how i know it's been too darn long.

i miss me a best friend, that's for sure. i'm really looking forward to my late summer trip to good ole e'ville. my apologies i won't be making it down for SATC. there is nothing i wanted more than i get a few drinks with my bestie and watch carrie, miranda, charlotte, and samantha talk sex sue johannson style.

so, while i'm on the sex and the city topic - here's something that i've been curious about lately. why is it that men hate sex and the city so much? i have yet to meet a guy who says he's watched it and actually enjoyed it. bryan avoids it like the plague when the watered down versions are on tv... and i have a few other guy friends as well who shiver when i even mention the title. are guys really that insecure that they feel 4 women getting together and discussing their sex lives is something they should be strictly against? i just don't get it. you get to see a lot of naked girls in that show if i remember correctly. that's always something i thought guys were all gung ho for? guess i was wrong.

but anyway, just know that when i do make it to the theater to see it - i'll be thinking about you the entire time. that's just how much i love ya.

le sigh

madame palmer,

i guess it's my turn to be the slacker here. whoops.

life's revolved around the job lately. it turns out... french is hard! i mean. for real. and there's something about working 9 to 5 (or 7 to 3:30, in my case) that makes time fly by. next thing you know, it's been nearly a week and you owe your bestie a blog.

so i saw that you finally got internet that was fast enough to let you watch the SATC trailer. holy cow, huh? did you almost cry? because i almost cried. the anticipation is killing me. KILLING ME. it won't be long now, my bestie. not long at all.

you should know i've been very persistent singing "first born" to lily. soon she will either learn to love it or resign herself to the fact that mommy's not giving it up and she'll accept it for what it is. either way, i win. she's very excited to meet you, just so you know. so get your butt down here! i miss you tons and tons.

also, i really liked your strategy for picking your bracket. it seemed like a spectacular plan. too bad it didn't work out all the way. my bracket's not quite busted yet, even though wisconsin didn't help me any. memphis is still alive. woohoo!

what do you and your husband know about this video game, rockband? i had my first experience with it yesterday and i got to thinking. i know how much we all enjoyed having guitar hero in our lives when we were up there visiting and i really think rockband would be a great, all-inclusive, swingin' time. i can just see seany now, banging away on the drums til all hours of the morning while the rest of us sleep. oh the fun we could have.

you know what's gonna be great? when i get vacation time. why? because i'm gonna use it to come see you.

it's come to my realization that the whole thing about asking questions to add a little somethin'-somethin' to the blogs was very short lived. like... 2-blogs short lived. well... i'm bringing it back! so here ya go, bestie... answer me this:

what talent do you have that you wish more people would recognize?
(ps: i found this, and others, at a website called questions.vox.com-- i still feel the need to cite my sources...)

mi muv moo,

jennynaes

i walked into work today under sniper fire

sweet dear jenny naes,

okay, i swear; politics will NOT be our running topic. it just seems as of late, that's what's been the underlying theme to most updates. that being said, i have to say, god love hillary for trying. sniper fire hillary? really? REALLY? alright, we'll give that one to ya even though it's a video documented lie. GOD LOVE HER. i think it's pretty great that you missed her appearance. just like a woman to not show up on time. i don't blame you though - i probably would've crapped out if i went to see obama and had to wait too long. and by too long, i mean like 30 minutes or so. i have about 30 minutes until my patience with crowds runs thin and i throw in the towel.

now on to a different topic: college basketball. now yes, i know "i'm me" or "you're you" as you put (which i love btw) but suprisingly enough i DO have a bracket this year. i wasn't going to. i had no desire to. i don't follow college basketball, nor did i want to. bryans side of the family does this whole bracket thing every year and yet again, i opted out this year. it's not just my thing to follow it and update it and know what's going on. at work, however i was bullied into doing it. well, not really bullied, more like asked and me and a friend split the cost and each did half of the bracket. our secret? we picked the teams that had names that fit on the line when we wrote them. good strategy ay? well, it's a losing strategy. we won strong in the first round, and now we only have 5 teams left. damn you USC - why must you have such a short name! i took them all the way to the end. man was i wrong.

so, even though i'm doing this bracket thingy - i still rely heavily, well, totally on my friend to keep it updated. i don't think i've looked up ONE score this whole time. GO ME!

i got your card today where you said you sang "first born" to lily. i can't imaging why she'd be terrified of you now. it's such a heart felt warm song to sing to a kitty. my aiko loves it when i sing it to him. especially when i cup his face in my hands and sing directly into his eyes. it gives him goosebumps. he just knows his mother loves him so much!

well my love. this post came a lot sooner than most, and for that i'm proud of myself. i hope we can keep this blog thing alive. we're rockstars though, so it shouldn't be too hard.

i love you always,

mitzy

impatience

my bestest,

i'm quite glad you're back. i'd been missing your presence in my life, but you were doing life-changing adult things, so i'm not gonna hate on you. it's not my style.

oh and nevermind when i asked you if you guys were gonna be home on saturday. i was gonna have something delivered to you, but it didn't work out. :( i'm moving on to plan b for a housewarming gift. i think i'm actually more pumped about it than plan a.

let's start with what seems to be a constant in our blogging: politics. well, i TRIED to wait for hillary. i really did. but when it was 8 o clock and she still hadn't shown up, and all i could think about was how hungry i was and how i have to get up at 5 in the morning.... i peaced out. so.... just like when we attempted to go see john kerry together, it just didn't happen. the good thing is, though, that i got to see my friend from murray and i own a shirt that says "hoosier president."

so i know you're you and all... but are you following march madness at all? normally i wouldn't care either, but i got in on this bracket thing with some friends and the truth is.... when you have a bracket, shit starts to matter to you. my tv has literally been on ESPN all day. however, in true girl fashion, you should know that my scientific method for picking my bracket had a lot to do with what i thought about the schools i was picking and if i had any connections to the place. for example, simply because of you, i have wisconsin going to the finals. DON'T DISAPPOINT ME, BESTIE. it's become very important to me, what happens with the basketball and i will lose a whole lot of points if wisconsin loses early.

anyhoo. i know this is kind of a short one, but it's getting late and i need to sleep. tomorrow's an early morning. :(

i hate when the "weekend" ends,

an impatient hillary supporter

and i'm back!

dear cat owner,

let's just pretend that it hasn't been a year and a half since i've updated this. it's been a really stressful few weeks. we're basically living out of two places - which isn't as fun as it sounds... if it even sounds fun. bryans parents have been staying with us, which has been fine but i think after awhile it starts to wear on everyone. the house is almost done, with a few more minor things that need to be finished. it's move in ready now though. the floors are all done as well as the paint. i can't wait for you to see it!

but anyway, i don't want to spend the whole time talking about the house (and trust me, i could). you mentioned in your last post about how you've been able to read a lot more lately. i found that to be the case after i graduated as well.

you read a lot more than i did during school, though. i found myself being extremely burned out in regards to doing anything other than watching tv after a long day of classes. i used to read a lot in high school, and through out college that love really was diminished greatly. after graduation, i really fell into books again. i've noticed though, that it takes a really good book to pull me out of my couch potato mode. the last really good book i read was the kite runner. i think a book needs to have a very good beginning in order to keep my interest long enough to get to that point where it really sucks me in.

i know that when you read - sometimes you don't really start enjoying it until you're to the 3rd or 4th chapter or so. and let's face it - i just don't have the time or the confidence to spend my time waiting for the book to get good.

my boss gave me a book to read a few weeks ago. (we sometimes pass books back and forth and he spends a lot of time reading. he doesn't have cable, something i'd love to give up but never will). i have yet to start it. i feel really bad, he keeps asking me if i've started it yet. i just haven't had the time to even think about opening a book. i need to get back into the groove of reading when i get into bed. right now, i usually get into bed, watch family guy until i get tired and then fall asleep. i've noticed when i do read before bed instead of watching tv i usually sleep better and have better dreams.

so, all that being said - if you ever read a really good book, one worth passing - please let me know. i hope with this new house will come some adjustments to my routine and the way to live my life. i'd like to become a healthier person, both physically and mentally.

this is one reason i can't wait to get a dog. i'm hoping it will force me to get up earlier, go for a daily walk and be responsible for a little more than my lazy cats. speaking of cats, btw - how's lily doing? i love the pictures of her. she looks absolutely precious. i can't wait to meet her.

so, i'm not sure if you caught saturday night live the other night, but i must end my post on this note, since in your last post you talked politics a bit.

in response to tina fey's appearance on weekend update last week in which she said hillary clinton was a bitch, bitches get shit done and bitch is the new black, tracy morgan came on and replied this week:

bitch may be the new black, but black's the new president, bitch.

all my love to you and yours,
your fellow cat owner

you're probably gonna get to vote for b.o. in the general elections, after all

jessa,

let's agree to this: neither blogger shall feel bad about taking a while to repost. i think we're both about in the same boat right now (except you have this whole, like, "we're fixing up a house" thing on top of it...) as far as work and stuff and our blog project, while a priority, sometimes just isn't the most convenient thing to do. so i say, as long as we can each get in about a post a week, we're doing pretty well.

next, i should address your question about hilary, as i'm currently watching election coverage. (that is, until my digi-cable reminds me that family guy is on at 7...) it's a pretty touchy subject, when a woman crosses the line and abuses the perks of femininity. actually, not too long ago, i had this conversation with a friend. (i can't remember who, exactly, which leads me to believe it may be that i've had this convo with several folks recently...) now i'm not boasting about this, but i'm just stating it as a fact: i'm a fair-weather feminist. this means that i want my rights, i want equality (not asking much, i don't think...) but, there are times, i will admit, that i recognize and take advantage of the inequality. i'm a cute girl. i use it to the fullest when i'm at the fox. my brains don't matter there, and it's the one place where i don't go above and beyond to promote my intelligence. instead, i'm flirty and i'm peppy and maybe even a little bit ditzy. why? you learn quickly what gets you better tips when you're working in a bar. now, outside of there, i dare you to challenge my intelligence. i dare you to make me feel like i'm not of the same worth as a man. i don't really know how to explain it, i just think it's a fact of life and i think most people do it. you use what you've got, when you need it, to get ahead. even if it's not all the way p.c. and i guess, to me, that's what hilary did too. she needed to be seen having emotions. now, where to draw the line? geesh. just like anything in life, the lines are fuzzy and the color is grey. there's just no telling until you've already gone too far.

last political note for this blog: i'm glad i'm not a republican tonight. everyone after march 4 who hasn't voted in a primary is seriously insignificant. that's lame. america needs to work on this election process some more. it's one hundred per cent unfair. even for me. by the time indiana primaries roll around, my vote will be pointless.

you kept referencing "office space" in your last blog, and i regret to say i've never seen it! i think though, now that i might be able to relate, i should rent it and laugh because it's true.

lily got spayed and declawed yesterday. my cousin said she did just wonderfully and she'll be swell for the travels on saturday. i'm so excited to have a lovey kitty to come home to. "she is my first born...."

have you read any good books lately? i've been capitalizing on my lack of school-related/ required reading by spending an excessive amount of money at borders. recently i read a book called 13 little blue envelopes by maureen johnson. very cute. after that i read my beloved john green's, an abundance of katherine's, which i definitely recommend. and then just today i finished kurt vonnegut's slaughterhouse-five. have you read that book? if you haven't, i would love it if you did. i'd love to get someone else's opinion on it. i definitely enjoyed it and it's a book that i think is begging to be dissected. if you ever get around to it, let me know. in the meantime, i'm probably going to do a little online research. it's one of those books you make notes in while you're reading. (i think i owe mrs. cowan a big ol' THANK YOU! for that one. she was about the best english teacher ever, i still think.)

and in case you're interested, i'll give you the low down on the book i'm reading now and those i have in queue:
last chance to see by douglas adams of hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy fame. it's a true story about his travels around the world, attempting to catch glimpses of many nearly extinct species before they are gone forever.

looking for alaska by john green. i was very impressed with the first one i read and i want more.

the life of pi by yann martel. it's been recommended to me by many.

the jane austen book club by karen joy fowler. because i'm a girl and i love jane austen. and i want to read this book before i see the movie adaptation.

books. books. books. i love books. who needs groceries when you've got books? haha just kidding. kinda.

dorkily yours,

avie scott

the 19th amendment, or something like that

jenny jeans,

i am a good-for-nothing.layabout.lazy.slacker. it has been far too long from your previous post, and i must give you my sincerest of apologies. to start, i feel i must first address some points given by you in your last correspondence.

1. i do like my hair a lot. its a big change, but it makes me feel a little bit more professional and, well, cute! it's always good to switch things up from time to time. you know what i mean. i like your hair the length it is now, however. i especially like it when you have it all wavy. you sexy thang you.

2. i.cannot.wait for you to get lily! i am so super pumped to sing her baptismal song, if you will. she looks precious.

3. you're just going to love having a cubicle. its very 'office space'. you'll soon shudder at the sound of your annoying cubemates on the phone. i have to listen to a guy that sounds like milton all day long. you know, the guy with the stapler from office space? i'm just lucky i can listen to the ipod. god bless steve jobs.

so, now that i've covered all that, i must shift gears and talk about something that's been bothering me lately.

i know you're a hillary supporter, so i will tread lightly here... i've heard on the news lately that she feels as though she has been treated more harshly than barrack hussein obama because of her gender. now, i agree with her to a point. i think she does have it harder because she is a woman. its really a matter of, "she's damned if she does, and damned if she doesn't." she can't show TOO much emotion because if she does, people will chalk it up to feminine hormones that she can't keep under control, but if she doesn't show enough emotion she, frankly, looks like a robot. so where does she find the middle ground?

so here's where i come up with my dilemma... that little crying episode she pulled awhile back... i just don't think she can have her cake and eat it too. if obama started crying in the middle of an interview like that, i think he'd be laughed off the stage. here is my question to you: where do you think the line should be drawn between using her feminity to further her political career and her complaints about it putting her at a disadvantage?

i will end on this note. i would love to have a woman president. like tina fey said on snl the other night, "bitches get shit done." that being said however, i don't want to vote for someone solely based on gender. i want a president who will work towards uniting the country, not dividing their own party.

all my love, and then some,

laura-loo

PS. i don't think it can get any worse than barrack hussein obama, can it?

a note from the editor

lovey, my laura,

please accept my formal apology for that little snaffoo in my last post. i was referring back to the papers you scanned and apparently i had a little trouble reading our 7th grade handwriting. so, naturally, what i meant was "the mobs" and NOT "the mops."

so, i love your hair cut! does it feel weird to have your hair that short again? i like to follow other peoples' leads and that makes me want to cut my hair, but i'm still holding off for a while...

...i think.

...maybe.

...i guess.

...for now.

...elipses.

okay. moving right along. yesterday at work we did more observations and i actually got to listen to a french-canadian call. i was kinda happy because i understood most everything the caller said... except for all the numbers when she gave her account number. whoops. that's kind of an essential one. so i realized that more than anything during my days, if you happen to walk past my cubicle, you will very often probably hear me saying (at least for a while) "repetez, s'il vous plait." but, it was quite fun and the 2 french speakers i met are really cool. so yay!

in other news, the official pick-up date for lily is march 8th! i'm driving into stl, just for the day, to get her and bring her home! i can't wait! when are you going to be in stl again, by the way? let me know and maybe we can coordinate some face-to-face bestie time.

i decided that my new favorite thing about being an adult is having time to read books. books galore! i don't have to read for class, which is a first in a long time. so now i can read for (gasp) fun. all the time! as a dorky consequence, now that i've got my indiana driver's license, i'm going to get my library card today. woohoo! i'm pretty pumped. and a nerd. but i know you aren't judging me.

i'm sorry i'm boring now... i haven't had a lot of time for abstract thought. but eventually i'll get some and we'll have us a good post here.

off to enjoy my saturday,

jenny bean

ps: whenever i bring lily home, you will really have to come visit so we can sing " you were my first born" to her, together.

the mops?

dear jenny bean,

before i start, i would like to address an error made in your blog below. (i wouldn't want our readers to get the wrong information). in your valediction you said "the mops!" instead of "the mobs!"

i don't expect you to remember the specifics from our time in kirby junior high, so you are forgiven.

disclaimer 1: when i refer to 'our readers' above, i mean you and i, as we are probably the only people reading this silly thing.

disclaimer 2: also, i just realized i said "our time IN kirby junior high" instead of AT kirby junior high, speaking of the place as it was a prison. for this, i give no apologies.

in response to your comments on voting - i must say, there's something about voting that just makes me feel so political and adult. i love going to the polls, filling in that bubble and then watching it slide into that big contraption that counts them (i think). here, at least, voting is so archaic. all we did was draw a line between two arrows next to our candidates name. i guess that's something hard to mess up. when i voted in the last presidential election in glen carbon i think i punched holes next to the names, and when i voted in the last general election in st. louis it was all electronic touch screen voting. please, picture my mother trying to figure out THAT one... it was hilarious.

i think the reason we don't have a clear remembrance of the last presidential primary was because it was pretty well decided who was going to get the democratic ticket, well before the national convention. it's starting to appear that my boy barack has a good chance of getting the ticket - but i also think billary will fight it out until the end.

regardless, you know me - i'll be voting democratic no matter who gets the ticket, but i will cry a little inside if its hillary i'm voting for come november.

yours forever,

laura loo hoo

hello wisconsin! (get it? like that 70s show...)

laura loo hoo,

it's so bizarre how easily 6 am is coming to me now. i just realized as i was doing my hair that my alarm went off this morning and i didn't hate it, or want to throw it into the wall. it went off, i got up and that was that. i used to say that 6 am was a wholy unnatural time of the day to be awake, and it very well may be, because i can guarantee that if i slept without the alarm, i wouldn't be up til 8:30 or so. but i imagine the fact that i'm asleep by 10:00 every night helps out with the early morning thing.

the only downside is it puts a bit of a damper on the social life. le sigh. i suppose that's a kink i'll just have to work out.

so, how was voting yesterday bestie?! i'm super excited to vote in the primary here in indiana, even though it's not until may and by then it will more than likely already have been decided. usually i just vote in general elections, but this time, it seems like it's totally the "in" thing to do, to vote in primaries. doesn't it? i mean.... we voted in the last general election but no one gave a crap about primaries, i don't think. i guess the players make the game, year to year. this will also be the first time i've voted at an actual polling place. i've always had to vote by way of absentee ballot because i've been in murray during election stuff. aaaaah another thing to add to the fun side of being an adult.

so i think i'm coming a bit more to terms with the 9 to 5. it satisfies the part of me that thrives on routine. and i think once i get out of training, i'll stand a pretty decent chance of actually liking my job. for now i just feel like i'm in elementary school, straight down to that bit where i get in trouble for not paying attention and the teacher thinks i'm a bad student but the truth is, i'm just so tired of waiting for everyone else to get it that i get bored and am trying to find new ways to entertain myself. a fact they always learn once they assess me and i blow everyone else out of the water. i know that sounds like a whole bunch of gloating, but ... well.... it's true. teehee.

anyway. routine calls, so i guess this is the time to say:

the mops!

lovingly,

jenny

big words make me sound smart

jenny my sweet,

after careful decoding i came up with this: you have something to tell me, but i can't tell anyone - so you'll have to tell me later? well now i am eager to know what this news is! ring goes the phone. kill your roosters!

i have to say - it took me a bit of adjusting to become part of the (as you called it) 9 to 5 machine. i definitely got used to working late at chili's, coming home & hanging out with sean, sleeping late and not having to go into work again until it got dark out. i do like the regular schedule i am on now though. i do have some journal entries from when i first started the good old regular job that referenced "feeling like i was just sitting around waiting for the next life event to take place."

at first, i felt like every day was so mundane and the same that i was living for the next time i went to st. louis or the next time we had some kind of event planned. looking back though, i felt the same way when i worked nights. i hated the fact that while i was at work i was serving people who were out on their play dates having fun, drinking it up. maybe you working at the fox is a bit different though, as it sounds like you have a bit more fun at work than i had at the old ball and chain chili's.
have you ever had the classic "what's the point of all this?" thought? i've come to really like my job, but in the beginning i felt listless and pointless and any other kind of "less" you can come up with. in my new position at least i feel like i am contributing to something and i have fun at work. i think that's the biggest goal you can meet. if you have fun where you are - then its a good place for you to be. its even better if your job can be fun AND take you places. this job is a stepping stone to a better one - even if its at the same company - and i think that's a good way to look at it if you're ever feeling trapped.

i do love where i work - even if from time to time the teddy bear sneezes.

magnanimously yours,
laura

fact: bears eat beets

laura love,

so i'm not sure which of those is actually the question du jour that i'm meant to answer, but to make a long story short: we were bitches. lame bitches at that. do i recall correctly that we made this list during a lunch break at kirby when it was raining and we were stuck in the gym? man, we were just effin' hateful, is what we were. and also, i spent a good long minute trying to figure out cassie's codename and really, not a damn thing is coming to me. what on earth?

anyway, i certainly killed no roosters taking my turn to post, but i finally made it. i can't say that i've made great strides in my efforts even to just evaluate my life in order to find ways to simplify. as a matter of fact, i think i've been even more materialistic than normal but (now try decoding this one) in order to explain i just need you to know that the teapot is bursting, however since barney sucks, the horse will just have to drink tea. *phew* that was difficult. and i just need you to know that i had to open up another tab and reference your post in order to make sure i was saying the right things. haha.

well i'm officially part of the 9 to 5 machine, as of today. it's hard to say how i feel about it because it was just day 1 of 15 days of training class, so it was all orientation stuff and getting ourselves familiar with the company and the building in which we're working. to entertain myself, i spent most of the day making analogies between CMC and "the office." i've decided i'm pam. i'd like to be jim, because i feel like if there had been a camera present, i'd have been the one making the "wtf" faces at it, but i'm not big on staging practical jokes- so, pam it is. i've also got an andy, and a guy who i'd say is a mixture of stanley and toby. i DEFINITELY found my dwight, and for now i've got a michael scott, too, but that'll only last through training. there were so many times today that i had to stop myself from laughing. i'd sort of step out of my body for a minute and realize the absurdity of the whole office atmosphere. lordy me, i had to pass the time somehow.

remember how you said a few posts ago that i'm good at adapting? well, let's just hope that i can apply that skill to this situation too. for now, i'm still in bar mode (and good heavens, did i miss the fox today) and until bar-jenny can meet office-jenny in the middle, i'm convinced it's gonna be a loooong 3 weeks of training.

question for you: to be, or not to be?

kill my tree whenever you get a chance,
jenny

ps: i like your changes to our blog!

exhibit A

j to the nizzle -

i'm sure i've already said this (did you know my sisters voice teacher taught aaliyah how to sing?) but i'm going to repeat myself again: i like to think i gave up lent for lent a long time ago and i am just proud of myself for really sticking with it. i suppose it's one thing in my life that i haven't given up on. go me!

but in all seriousness, i know where you're coming from. there is something very ideal of living a life of simplicity. sometimes it is easy for me to get caught up in how much i have or how much i want. i think i'm a bit of a glutton when it comes to certain things - sometimes i don't know when to stop or when to say no and that would definitely be something i would like to strive for.

to add to your comment about how religious, or not religious you are; i believe that we are genuinely on the same page. i don't think of myself as religious, for example, i don't believe you have to go to church to be a good person but i am starting to understand how the community of a church can give some people solace. take my sister for example. it took me a very long time to get a point where her beliefs don't make me cringe - but i think i am finally understanding why she is the way she is, and i am working on accepting her for it. that was my new years resolution, btw - to have a relationship with my sister. notice, i didn't say have a good relationship - at this point i just want a relationship.

now, on to the real reason i was so excited about posting today. you know, i am really glad we were friends in elementary school through junior high, into high school and college and even now. i would like to remind you of the girl at the burger king who said, "wow, you guys STILL hang out?" well, i've finally figured out why we weren't in with the cool crowd:

disclaimer: if any of you reading this are named on this list; we sincerely apologize in advance. we were cruel 7th graders at the time...




all i can say is this: no wonder we were best friends. i think we gravitated towards each other in that bathroom of dear old townsend elementary because we were both such dorks. can you believe we actually wrote that? so, with the above list i give us both a challenge. i think in future posts we need to try to work in some of our old lingo. let's throw it back to 1997, shall we?

The mobs!

LYLAS,

laura

PS - do you have any idea what we were talking about with the codename for cassie? i mean, wtf...?

boycotts, continued

darling precious laura,

for the sake of continuity, i'm going to participate in your boycott of capitalization. besides, we're such good friends (besties, as it were!) that we don't need all the formality that comes along with things like capital letters and grammar.

i was thinking about the idea of boycotts and that lead me to thinking about giving things up. yesterday was the first day of lent, you know. (i would've been totally oblivious if it hadn't been for a girl at work informing me of that, by the way.) i can't remember the last time i gave something up for lent or even if i really stuck with my promise for the entirety of one lent ever in my life. anyway, i was thinking about the idea behind lent. (sometimes i think people just do things like this so mechanically, without remembering WHY they're supposed to be doing it in the first place.) besides the whole jesus factor, i think lent is about simplification of life. we all have so much STUFF and we've convinced ourselves that without it, our comfort of living will be substantially diminished. and really, that's just bullshit.

when i was in france, i thought i was going to be so upset to not have my cell phone for 3 months. what was i going to do? how would i survive? well it turned out that the only thing i noticed about not having it was that i needed to start carrying a watch. that was an easy enough solution and after that i hardly noticed that i didn't have a phone. in fact, it was a distinctly freeing feeling. nothing attached to my hip, nothing to ring and disturb people at a movie or in the middle of class. not to mention that i was 100% focused on the company i was with, as opposed to the company i was keeping via satellite.

we all know i'm not what you would call "religious" but i do respect the idea of lent. the buddhists are meant to do it always, the practice of simplification. they do it for the same reason that i mentioned in the last paragraph. they call it detaching from the material world so you can focus inward (which, they also think is the only REAL world). material things are fleeting and they can't bring us all the happiness we're seeking. and lord knows we try anyway. i know i did and that only landed me in one place: a blue chair in a therapist's office.

i think i could go on and on about materialism and detachment and impermanence, but i won't. it's just a subject i think is really interesting. i wish that i lived more by those philosophies than i actually do, because i think they hold a great deal of truth and really would improve my mental state. in therapy i learned to do it a little and the difference was astounding. i would just love to practice it more.

so i'm thinking, i'm not giving anything up for lent. i mean, i'm not catholic, so why would i? however, i think i'll use it for inspiration. i'm not sure where i'm going to start and how i'm going to do it, but i think i'm going to start by evaluating and thusly getting rid of clutter in my life. physically and mentally, what could i honest to goodness do without? quite an interesting experiment this could be.

so, your question today is: if you were going to start simplifying your life, where would you start? (physically or mentally or both)

lots of love,
jenny

a boycott on capital letters

dearest darling jenny,

i have decided that hence forth (if i'm using the correct terminology there) i will no longer use capital letters. i just sincerely view them to be a little too restrictive and too grammatically correct. i feel that by writing in only lower case letters i am somehow allowed to throw grammar to the wind and use commas, periods, and exclamation points at my leisure without fear of feeling stupid or making my english teachers cry themselves to sleep.

that being said; in response to your post: !, i looked up the definition of nomad on dictionary.com (which btw is the end all be all of definitions online other than urbandictionary.com which makes me giggle).

nomad (noun) - a member of a people or tribe that has no permanent abode but moves about from place to place, usually seasonally and often following a traditional route or circuit according to the state of the pasturage or food supply.

now, i didn't need to look up the definition of a nomad to understand what you were saying; i know what a nomad is. i was just interested to see how it was defined in exact words. and, (b/c i'm writing in lower case letters, you see, i can start a sentence with the word and. take that mrs. brennan) as i realize you are not interested in the life of a nomad to follow some sort of food supply; i do think this idea is an intriguing one.

i admire that you have moved around a bit. not to say that i haven't, hence me living in wisconsin; but i don't think i would ever have the guts to move somewhere where i don't know anyone. i didn't even go far away for college, and even though i was 30 minutes away - i still made it home ALMOST everyday to enjoy some of mare and hare's home cookin'. i think that you are at a point in your life where if nothing is holding you to a particular place then you should take advantage of your interest in traveling. i think you would definitely meet a lot of cool people and see a lot of fun places and hopefully have enough pictures to make the ladies at the scrapbooking store squeal with delight. that being said; i think you adapt well to where ever you are. when you were in college you were happy there, and when you came home to stl it might've taken you a few days to adapt, but then you were happy there.

okay, enough of that for now. to answer your question about our new investment - i'm actually not sure when we're moving in exactly. we are having the inspection on the house this saturday and we close on february 27th. we actually are still in our lease at the apartment until the end of april unless they can rent it early - so we have a bit of time to fix up the house before we move in. we are most definitely having a 4th of july party i think (so i guess i shouldn't have said 'most definitely' there). i am excited/freaked out/scared/happy/freaked out/excited all in one big lump. it is definitely something to be excited about - but sometimes when i see all my friends out partying it up and having fun and living their life without attachment, i'm not going to lie when i say i don't get maybe a little jealous - but i think that is something that comes and goes. onward!

so my question for you is this; with you being the moh in your sisters wedding - do you have any fun plans for her in store?

yours in christ,

laura

i make rule #1

Dear Laura,

It sure took you long enough to get on the ball, but I forgive you.

After reading your post I've come to one conclusion: I'm never getting in a car with you again. I know it's greener to car pool and things... but it seems to me you have a slight rage issue. However, I do give you mad props for calling the police on her. That's a pretty sweet prank, of sorts.

I also agree with you about drawing a blank when it comes to blogging. While I was not so patiently awaiting your inaugural blog post and subsequently making a post of my own, I had hoped to make said post more substantial. Instead, I went for the cop out and just begged you to do it instead. I think I should at least get points for trying. The thing is, I don't know that I make great observations about life all that often. Or if I do, I don't realize it and then I don't have much to say in the blog world.

So here's one thing I've been thinking though: Well, today was my one month anniversary in Evansville. I was trying to think back about the past 30 or so days and figure out what I've taken from everything thus far. I realized that I didn't have many expectations when I got here. For instance, I didn't concern myself before coming with how I'd make friends or what I'd do in my spare time. Lucky thing that worked out pretty smoothly.

The other thing I thought was that I do enjoy it here, but I don't know how long I'll stay. I've said for a while now that I'd like to be a nomad when I grow up and I now see that I'm set up perfectly for it and so I might as well. So, I'm thinking... I stick it out until my lease is up and then I go somewhere new. Where? Who knows. This wasn't that far from the life I've known in the past 6 years. Maybe somewhere farther next time. *coughtexascough* I know it sounds kinda crazy because I essentially just got here, but thinking about it this early only means I will be more prepared if I decide that's what I want to do, right?

Are you thinking I'm out of my mind? If so, I just want to say... I agree. But it could be fun!


Finally, I'm thinking I've come up with the first rule of our blog adventure: Maybe at the end of every post we make, we ask the other person a question that they must address when they make their next post. It could be legitimate question you want an answer to, or it could be totally silly and off the wall. Either way, it must be answered. This might help us get the ball rolling if we're at a loss for something to write about. Sooooooo:


A question for you to address in your next post: When will you be moving to your new house?

Love,

Jenny

procrastination at its BEST

Dear Jenny,

This whole blog thing always sounds good at the time. It’s fun putting it together, picking out colors, and names and getting it all loaded up onto the good old world wide web. However, once I actually have to put my nose to the grindstone (whatever THAT means) and write something insightful, my mind clouds up like a big pile of garbage and anything I was thinking about writing at the time of the blogs birth, turns into mush. I blame it on the alcohol or lack there of. So here I am, sitting at work - all my work either done or being put off until tomorrow, trying to come up with something to write to kick off the blog party.

“What shall I write about?” I ask myself in not such a proper tone. There’s Super Tuesday coming up tomorrow; or I can always write a commentary on how I didn’t watch the Super bowl yesterday. Or, how about global warming? Global warming is always a crowd pleaser.

Instead; I don’t think any of those things are really going to pull attention like I wish they would. Instead; I will go on a rant about a bad driver I had the pleasure of running into (not literally) yesterday. Yes, this seems intellectual and important.

So, yesterday as I was on my way to meet my date at the movies (and by date, I mean myself; I occasionally take myself to see movies I know Bryan has no interest in participating in; this time, Atonement) I was going about 50 mph in a 40 mph zone. Well, a nice lady in a white mini van decided that I needed a little push and was riding my bumper like Britney Spears on crack. I get very ticked off when I’m already speeding and people behind me think I’m going too slowly. She attempted to get into the right turn lane twice to pass me.

I am not one to be passed when I’m already breaking the law – so each time she tried, I would speed up just a touch so she couldn’t get by me. Now, I don’t normally do that – coz you never know what kinda big bag of crazy is driving behind you – but today I just felt like pissing her off. She followed me and attempted to get around me several more times and it wasn’t until we finally both turned onto a two lane road that she was finally able to get around me. “Fine,” I thought, “go ahead and get around me.” So what does she do? Not only does she whip around me to get passed, but she pulls back into my lane about an inch in front of my car and…. SLAMS on her brakes. I about rear ended her. And whose fault would that have been? Mine. Now I knew she was a REALLY big bag of crazy. She stayed at a stop for about 20 seconds or so, which is a long time to sit when you’re in a panic because you almost were turned into road kill. When she finally started driving again, I grabbed my cell phone and called 911 and reported her as a drunk driver. Because, seriously – who drives like that in a MINIVAN unless they’re drunk? I followed her a few roads up telling the nice man on the other line all the roads she was passing so he could get an officer over to arrest her ass.

I hope she really was drunk coz that would make me smile.

PS: The movie was great.

Love, Laura

Dear Laura,

I have been patiently waiting all day for your first post. And by patient, I mean, checking every hour or so. I can no longer sit idly by, hoping you've posted.

Gimme something to respond to!

Lovingly,
Jenny