emote my foot!

Once again, I have to thank Helen E. for her way of always inspiring these blogs. Todays subject, what is it with 50 something (aka my parents, aunts, uncles, bosses etc.) and emoticons.

Exhibit A: Email from Aunt Joane
I know with the holiday approaching …Cory and Ryan are beginning to salivate knowing what’s ahead! Fortunately for Kate – she sampled and approved the Strawberry Salad – so we gave her the final approval to enter the family. Congratulations to both Kate and Joe for their faithful journey. Kate will “officially” enter the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil on Saturday night.

Neeners and Big Al (and gang – Kristen, Jimmy, Caroline, Meg, Shannon, Nick, Jake and ?) will all be coming in town this year!

I’m trying to accommodate the majority for “meal time” - I’m thinking early afternoon

(1:00 or 2:00) but would like to hear from everyone as to departure times, nap times (that includes Grandpa) and favorite time!

We filled the living room with a beautiful new pool table and Bryan is putting the finishing touches on the back patio. (lighting and waterfall) Pray for nice weather.

I’m so excited to have everyone here – especially the new arrival – Emmy! I haven’t seen her yet – but the Grandma’s are sure bragging!

Food assignments will be sent out once I hear everyone and firm up “brunch” or “lunch”

Study Hard and we look forward to having you home! Of course – we will miss Jimbo

Although from the looks of his picture file – he’s seeing plenty of Europe. (Jimmy – put yourself in a picture or two – we want to be sure there’s no beer belly!)

Looking forward to having my girls home soon too!

Love – Aunt Joane or Mom or Joane – depending who is reading this!

Can we say obnoxious! I mean honestly, the font size (which I scaled down from wait for it 35pt. to fit on my blog), the unecessary knowledge of emoticons, the fact that Jimmy was in London not Spain so what's with the hola guy, I mean really! Next thing I know my mom has caught on. A conversation with a friend earlier today explains it best:

friend: there's a really funny article in today's nytimes about facebook

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/07/fashion/07Cyber.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&th&emc=th

11:25 AM me: such a peg leg (my mother) move

she is all into emoticons right now its annoying

friend: hahahahaha

emoticons

11:26 AM i'm telling my mom that exact sentence

11:27 AM me: seriously jimmy thought she was drunk when she im'd him in london one night because she was using all emoticons to communicate

friend: hahahahahaha

me: and now she is on google chat, outrageous

friend: i'm going to lose my job for laughing too loud

The article she directed me to was about a mom joining Facebook. Unnecessary Moms and Dads of the world, try talking to your kid and being involved with their life so you don't have to spy on them! My mom topped this off by joining google's gchat for gmail users. She now sends me the annoying emoticons on a hourly basis just to erk me.

Exhibit B: Conversation with mom this morning:

me: hi mom, quick question about cleveland this weekend
mom: whats up :)
me: is it casual?
mom: yup :) :)
me: unnecessary use of the smilies mom cut it out.

I then get an email that looks like this moments later:

Dear Beth:
:) :( :? :/ :] :o

Love <3>

Mom xoxoxox


Enough said. Lay off the emoticons people!

Since I don't Have a Window

Window One

Window Two

Window Three

Its time to vote folks:

Since I don't have a window in my new office (I like to call the cave), I would like you all to vote for the creation you would like to see on my wall as my new fake window. You can only vote once I am afraid.


Enjoy!

so long summer....

Wahoo... I am back, I know how you all missed me so. Good news, more blogs, bad news more blogs. I have a new job, with a new office, with a new door, which means............... I can close people out! So if you like it or not, doesn't matter because I will be writing more!

On to the good stuff:

This weekend was the cross town series in Chicago. For those of you not from Chicago and can't seem to infer the meaning from above, the cross town series means the Cubs vs. the Socks. The Cubs won :). This year it was held in our hood at Wrigley Field. Making my neighborhood a prime location for people watching.

On Saturday night we went to the infamous Cubby Bear, a favorite post game hangout. My favorite cover band of all time Wedding Banned was playing there and I wasn't about to let a couple of hoodlums and yuppies scare me away. And despite what both teams fans say, socks fans are straight up hoodlums and cubs fans are straight up yuppies, neither wins in my mind. As we looked around the room waiting for the band to appear. We watched as two socks fans decked out in their sideways hates with all the tags still on (don't get it) did a little head bob to Eminem. All the yuppies around them looked in disgust. Soon after some Kelly Clarkson tune came on and sure enough the yuppie girls were screaming and jumping while one of the sox's buddies imitated shooting himself in the head with his fingers. The night was going to get interesting.

And it did, Wedding Banned appeared on stage, (check to see if they are coming to your town because they are amazing), and rocked a great set. By the end of it, the sox boys and the cubby's girls were making out, now how is that for a cross town peace treaty.


Ok off to work, I leave for LA in less the 24 hours so I better get cooking.

Bad News Bears

So once again its been awhile. With good excuse this time. I got a new job! No more Evil wench who like voldemort shall go unnamed. Wow I will try to keep the dork references to a minimum from now on.

First off Kickball:
yes kickball folks, I am the proud captain of Jorts optional. An homage to Jean Shorts and all things denim. Jean Shoes, hats, fanny packs, you got jean we got jean, now if only we had Jeanie on the team. Wow what kind of Dr. Seuss crap was that. Anywho, Jorts for short is by far the first team in the league, mostly my fault. We are hung over, unorganized, lacking a uniform, our pitcher and most of the outfield chain smokes, and we don't believe in running. We are also philosophically opposed (as teammate Scott would say) to acting or communicating like a team. On the up side, we have a damn good time losing! Just call us the Bad News Bears.

Up Next:
my new job: lots of travel + lots of airport people watching= hilarity will ensue

Last but not least:
http://www.eagleforum.org/misc/descript.html (huh?) yeah that's what I said too, if anyone cares to possibly understand this mixed up platform please explain. Scott I know you will be all over it.


P.S.: Never give your real phone number and fake name to the same person, it doesn't work out well. damn you alter-ego Jen, damn you.... More to come soon.

Setting Sail to the high seas on one hell of a motely cruise!

http://www.bestweekever.tv/2007/04/11/sailing-failure/

Um. check please, I am off to sail the mighty seas with non-other the boys of motely crue.... Ok maybe if I had the money or was willing to sell my first child, I would . I guess I lack the dedication of a true eighties metal fan, but I mean come on most girls my age in the height of the 80s wanted to marry prince charming, I wanted to marry the guy who was re-paving our drive way because of his slight resemblance to Jon Bon Jovi.

Possibly the most witty blog observation ever made was by the best week ever staff to include the last paragraph in which RATT became RAT after losing a member and the new bassist was a native of Kansas City (who lives there really.... crickets crickets.... me looking guilty, and slow hand up) and a gym teach no less.

Some days I love my job, this one, why because I read this story. No I didn't cure cancer, or get someones' tax return done on time, or even save a little kitten from a tree, but hey we all can't be productive, creativity would suffer greatly.

As I read this article I imagined myself taking to the high seas with my girls Tiffany and crystal (standard). We would be wearing our day-glow bikinis, our mesh midriffs, our short shorts, are amazingly styled crimped and curly big hair blown in the wind. I would be with the Jon look alike of course (now a bit older and sporting a balding mullet and a fringe coated to tight leather jacket). My friends would be with their husbands that used to look like the twins from Nelson (gotta love that reference) but now kind of look like fat hulk hogans rocking the nascar jackets. We would sip on wine coolers and work on our tans, all while showing off our his and her superman tats (an homage to Jon) while Tiffany shows of her rose with thorns wrapped in a chain, representing her love for poison. We would eagerly await the chance to launch our bikini tops at the stage wishing Skid Row could have made it. Not to mention the champagne of beers (name it and I will give you a penny) cascading down a waterfall so all you have to do is tilt you head back and enjoy.
At some point Larry (the bon jovi look-a-like) would stand on a table and ask everyone if they wanted to see the tiger grrrroooowl, much to my horror the tiger was a belly tattoo, the table would buckle, break and we'd be off to our room. When back at our room we would upon arrival trash the place, like true rockers do. Who cares where this cruise is heading, in my dream it must be heaven.

Happy Friday All. Sweet Dreams of Tiger Tattoos and Rocking Balding Mullets.

Celebrity Face Recognition

So upon working hard, or in my case hardly working I stumbled upon this lovely new distraction courtesy of www.myheritage.com. Above is mine which might I add is of course dead on, I mean I get Grace Kelly references all the time (ok maybe not, but the machine says so). With such scientific tools at my disposal I thought I'd try a couple more and this is what I found:

My brother came up with the below matches: I've always thought he looked like Naomi Watts:




I then moved on to my dear friend and loyal reader Helen E. to see just who she looks like and below you can see her matches: And man am I jealous, Angelina Jolie damn you!



Finally for shits and giggles I did my other brother: I have always thought he looks like fred savage lets see the results: ding ding ding we have a winner, he is indeed a fred savage look alike:

blahhh elliot smith blaahhh

"When you first arrive in a new city, nothing makes sense. Everything's unknown, virgin...After you've lived here, walked these streets, you'll know them inside out. You'll know these people. Once you've lived here, crossed this street 10, 20, 1000 times... it'll belong to you because you've lived there. That was about to happen to me, but I didn't know it yet"

I don't know where the above quote comes from, I saw it on a profile once. Its true. I am soon to be a resident of chicago for 6 years. Six years, I remember when being ten to sixteen was such a monumental change, and now being 18 to 24 seems pretty well boring. I need a change in my life, being sober has taught me that.

Since I haven't been drinking, I have been forced to find humor in everyday life sans the booze that allows me to laugh things off more readily. I blame Elliot Smith, I've cleary been listening to him too much. I look around and all there is war, violence, conceit, materialism, call me a pessimist but seriously kids aren't even now a hope for the future. Cell phones, coach bags, bebe, not for a twenty something girl, for an eight year girl, its ludicrious.

My junior year of college I hung out with this great group of artist and writers. We always joked about starting a counter-culture commune like back in the 60s and 70s. I kind of wish we had followed through. Instead we are all working low income jobs, to pay for our low income housing, to further our income driven lives.

I haven't painted again for a long time. What is with me. I used to go nuts if I didn't paint, photograph, doodle once a day. Now I hardly even look at my art supplies. I don't even keep my room clean enough to paint. I live in a household where I still ask permission to do things like a child. I live every moment pay check to pay check. what the hell am I doing. I have become so numb I am boring.

So the question becomes what do I do to break the cycle. To make this once new city full of potential into that city once again. Where I can be proud of my life and myself. Where I am going and to do what I want to do no matter who tells me not to. To get my life, starting with my bedroom in order so that I can move freely. To get rid of all the material crap I don't need and focus on what really matters. To stop being jealous of others and start striving to be content with the cards I have been dealt.

Lets hope I have the strength to follow through and more importantly not to procrastinate the start. I say kick ball will change the world.