Jen

I saw this is the Bed Bath and Beyond sale paper.



Doesn't it look like the carcass is holding a beer? Hilarious.

Jen

Sick. I just had an iced coffee and now my mouth feels like I have gross, stale coffee breath. Where are Altoids when I need them?

For the past couple of days, I have been strangely asked questions by one of the newer workers in the cafe by my work. She seems like a totally nice girl, but for some reason, her questions kind of put me off. Maybe it's because she doesn't really follow through with her part of the conversation. Example from two days ago:

Her: Is that your jeep out there?
Me: Yeah.
Her. What year is it?
Me: Hmmm, I think it's 2003.

She then goes back to work.

I kind of expected a response like "Oh, it's a nice car" or "I've always liked jeeps" or "Your sister's a whore." I don't know, just some kind of response.

Example 2 from today:

Her: Do you live on Pacific? (as in Pacific Avenue)
Me: Yeah, up in Venice.
Her: I saw your car parked on the street. You don't have parking?
Me: Parking's available for our place; I just don't want to pay for it.

She then goes back to work.

Am I wrong in thinking this is awkward? Am I supposed to ask her something back?

But I digress. . . For some reason, all this Billy Joel has brought back strange memories of when I used to be a bartender at this Sushi restaurant in Lincoln Park. Not all memories of that place are pleasant, but for the most part, the job itself was pretty decent. There was this one French waiter that used to complain about all the AC (adult contemporary) music we would play in the restaurant. All the other hip places had actual DJs. I remember him saying, "While other restaurants have DJ, we have BJ" as in Billy Joel, not that - please get your head out of the gutter. Anyway, he said it more than once and I always thought it was really funny.

I guess it's better to have Billy Joel on the brain as opposed to the whole month (I kid you not) that I couldn't stop thinking of "Bringing on the Heartbreak" by Def Leppard!

Jen

Lately I’ve had an overload of Billy Joel songs on my mind. It’s beginning to get a little scary. I usually start off with a little “Tell her about it” then move to “Movin’ out” (you know that part where he says “heart att-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack, you oughtta know by now….” It repeats in my head over and over.) Then by the end of the day, I usually go for “Just the way you are” or “Don’t ask me why.” The only thing that gets these songs out of my head is either the theme to Inspector Gadgit or Doogie Howser M.D. Curse my mind!

San Francisco was a lot of fun, although crazy busy. Sunday was our only full day in the city, and we basically walked to every neighborhood that we could. As you may or may not know, Matt and I are still searching for a more permanent place of residence. Los Angeles has definitely grown on me, but I miss an efficient form of public transportation. That is why we are still considering going back home to the lovely land of Chicago and have added San Francisco as another option. Our goal in San Francisco was to see how easily it is to move around (which it is) and what neighborhoods looked promising. Obviously, the North Beach Area is amazing – very close to downtown, Chinatown, Little Italy and the wharf (although very cheesy, it’s still nice) – and we liked the Mission area for it’s similarity to the Bucktown/Wicker Park areas at home. Anyway, I’m still undecided, but Matt is very gung-ho for San Francisco right now, so we’ll see.

Matt also likes the street people in S.F. more. In L.A., if you are walking alone, more than just to get to your car or enter some sort of shop or work, most likely you are a crazy street person that has conversations with yourself or trees or light posts or whatever is nearest that can’t talk back. It’s true. I was at the corner of Lincoln and Pico and noticed someone walking alone, looking fairly normal, and there it was, a spoken comment on something and then a laugh. He wasn’t on the phone, he wasn’t listening to anything, he was just walking.

Anyway, back to San Francisco. Matt and I were walking somewhere talking and I was talking about something that I can’t remember, and a guy walked past us and turned to me and said “shampoo” which I thought was pretty funny. This is much better than the person in L.A. who stopped Matt and then told him he was going to hell. Good times.

On our way home, we stopped in Livermore (Beck! you’re the one who turned me on to this place!) and sampled some fine wine at the cute little wineries in the neighborhood. This was a great way to end our trip, although I couldn’t “sample” as much as I had liked.

What else is going on? Anymore sightings?

Becky

Hey! I too have recently been thinking about monkeys (some of you know that I think about monkeys quite often).

Check out this article about the Bononbo's - apparently the most advanced monkey. These folks in Iowa are building quite the house for a group of these apes....

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/04/20/ape.research.ap/index.html

Happy Thursday!

Jen

I miss all the good stuff in Chicago!!! A real Virgin Mary sighting!?!?! I was just thinking about her the other day! Okay, well, not really. I have been thinking about religion though, especially with certain events that have recently happened in my life. I don't consider myself very religious; I'm more spiritual then anything. I've just had a lot of time to think about things, and some things about religion (especially Catholicism - which I was brought up on) just don't sit well with me. Now, to my story.

It’s true, I am getting older. One of the tell tale signs that my interests are changing is that now, on my way home from work, I listen to talk radio (NPR and such). It’s way more informative then the paper or obviously, the TV news, and I feel like I actually learn information that is pertinent to my life and of real interest to me. Crazy, I know.

Since the Pope’s death, I have been trying to figure out this “Legacy” that I hear all news sources talking about. I mean, as far I was concerned, the Pope just hung out in Vatican City (which, by the way, is amazing. There is so much incredible art there, it’s almost too much to look at in a day.) looking out at Rome and eating pasta.

Back to talk radio. So the discussion was about his “legacy,” and I found out two facts that really changed my mind about the guy.

1) Galileo. In the 1600’s Galileo was accused of heresy by the Vatican for teaching Copernicus’ theory as true – that the earth rotated around the Sun. He was sentenced to life imprisonment (which he spent at his home, but pleas for pardons and medical treatment were refused).

What the Pope did:

In July of 1981, the Pope constituted a study commission for the expressed purpose of studying the Galileo case. The commission - composed of scientists, historians and theologians - worked for over ten years and then in 1992 it brought its work to a close. Basically, Galileo’s sentence was revoked. Yes, people, it’s true! The earth does rotate around the sun! It took some crazy 300 years for it to happen, but it did. Pope John Paul spent most of his time um, “in office” working to prove Galileo’s theory. Really, for the Catholic Church, that’s pretty amazing to admit; we are not the center of the universe.

2) Evolution: According the Catholic church, we (minus the sinners!) are all descendants from Adam and Eve, all uniquely God’s creatures, blah, blah, blah. Point is, we are definitely not from monkeys!!!

What the Pope said:

"Today, almost half a century after the publication of the encyclical, new knowledge has led to the recognition of the theory of evolution as more than a hypothesis."

Holy shit! You’re saying we might descend from monkeys? It’s true. The fact that he acknowledged that evolution is possibly more than just a tall tale, is also an amazing step for the church. I also heard on the radio that the Vatican has not joined many (pardon the terminology) hardcore Christian groups in their refusal to acknowledge of the theory of evolution.

So yes, there are still many things that are absolutely unfathomable about how the church is run, but these two changes, on the grand scheme of things, happen to be impressive. Don't expect to see me in church anytime soon though. Or, practice Catholicism. Or really believe in it either.

Anyway, for more interesting reading on the Pope, check out these two articles I referenced:

"What the Pope Said"
"Reconciling Old Lovers: John Paul on Science and Faith"

Becky

We're saved! We're saved! The virgin mary has come to Chicago! That's right! In the underpass of the Kennedy Expressway on Fullerton ave!

check it out!

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/chi-0504190294apr19,0,6741080.story?coll=ny-leadnationalnews-headlines

Jen

For the first time in weeks, I feel like I can actually get things done at home. I've cleaned up, sorted through my mail, even wrote actual letters to people who I needed to write back. I've also spent some time on this blog, finally updating the links section on this page and divided the blogs from the non blogs. I've even added my boyfriend's blog, so now you can finally read what he really thinks of me. Actually, on some strange caffeine high this weekend, he wrote a slew of haikus (a question I posed to him Sunday: is more than one haiku, haikus? or is it still haiku?) about frozen nose hairs and other trails and tribulations.

The new "art and whatnot" section, includes my best buds from grad school plus a new friend from California, Greg, who has K.A.* paintings and drawings. Also, I finally added Plume and Peck, a comic strip by my old roommate and good friend, Nathan, that he has been working on since we lived together.

It was great having Dave and Byron in for the night, although I wish it could have been longer. A couple of months ago, Byron and I spent at least three hours on the phone discussing what the plot should be for the "Full House Reunion" made-for-tv-movie. As far as I know, nothing is in the works for this kind of program, so feel free to contact us for the full script. Anyway, these are the kind of things that I always used to talk to my dear Byron about, and I miss his company.

When you are waiting for a quest to arrive, you think of all the things you want to talk to them about, like the funny story of the old man who tried to pick you up while waiting in line to get lunch, or the four 30-something men hanging out on main street that you saw goofing around like they were teenagers that made you laugh because you thought they were toolboxes. Then you see that person and all these stories go out the window and their visit passes so quickly and the next thing you know, they are leaving and you finally remember what you want to tell them. This has been my experience every time someone has been out here to see Matt and I. It makes me truly miss my friends at home.

This weekend, Matt and I are going to drive up to San Francisco to visit the sea lions. We decided that we need to take a vacation, just the two of us. I am very excited to get out of town and do something different.

I'm picking up the very clean down comforter today! Huzzah!

*I had to reference one of my favorite yearbook acronyms: "kick ass"

Jen

I’ve had plans all week to write a blog and catch up, but we’ve had a series of events that has lead me not to be at home.

Christie was in this past weekend, which was a fantastic time. Besides the one unfortunate event of Christie, Mark and Matt in a hit a run car accident with a hippie (I am not going to even try and explain this one, ask Christie), it was a very eventful weekend. Sunday, we went hiking up in Malibu, and of course, went to the favorite Malibu drink/food spot, Duke’s, afterward. Monday was actually one of the best days, because I actually got to spend time with Christie alone and have a chance to hang out, catch up and do girl things – you know (aka topless pillow fights and truth or dare!). I will post fun pictures once I have them.

Tuesday, when I got home from work and the gym, I noticed an odd smell in the air, which led me to a giant wet spot on my bed. The wet spot could have happened due to two, and only two, things – the ceiling leaked (which has happened before) or a kitty accident. Now, I don’t really know what happened Tuesday all day when I was gone, but as most everyone knows, Matt and I have two cats that LOVE to fight. They fight all the time. This is not a lie. I’m not sure why this would lead to kitty piss on my down comforter, but really, anything is totally feasible with Josie and Tiger.

So, I pulled off all sheets and threw them in the washing machine. Matt gets home shortly after I do. He is somehow not as bothered by these events as I am. I can’t understand it (my guess is he was happy that this all happened on my side of the bed as opposed to his.) Matt then goes to put the stuff in the dryer when he finds out that the dryer is not working. By this time it is already 10:30, which by Chicago’s standards is still early enough to go to a Laundromat and dry our wet bed sheets. That is not so anywhere in Venice or Santa Monica, because everywhere we drove was closed! Back at home an hour later, and I search in our “pit of despair” (our closet) for the extra bed sheets that I know I stowed in there somewhere. By 12 something or other, bed is made and we are sleeping.

This is where I digress. I sleep with the same blanket every night. I have had my down comforter for 6 years now, and when I go to sleep, it is there with it’s beautiful, soft, feathers falling around me. Even when it’s hot out, I have it nearby, just in case! I love it! I slept like absolute crap with a different blanket. It was horrible.

Next night, we dropped the comforter at the dry cleaners, and finally washed and dried our sheets; I have to sleep without my blanket until Saturday!!

Friends, Byron and Dave are in this eve. Guess where we are going for dinner and drinks?!?!? That’s right! Duke’s! It’s “Mai Tai madness” which means 4 bucks for the best Mai Tai I have ever had.

Becky

Greetings from Chicago! How was the weekend with Christie in town? Anymore celeb sitings?

We drove to the lovely city of Indianapolis last weekend to watch Nick and Emily get married. The weather was awesome - unbelievable for April. We had a good time and Greg's dad wore a felt german hat for most of the weekend. You can check it out here:
http://www.hofbrauhausshop.com/index.cfm/act/Catalog.cfm/catalogid/2419/category/Hats/browse/null/MenuGroup/Home/desc/Gray%20Oktoberfest%20Hat%20%2D%20Plain%20no%20logo.htm
Picture it on Greg's dad - its funny.

Work is busy lately but I've been doing a better job not letting it get under my skin - I can always get a new job, right?

The weather is crap here today, but at least the rain is washing off the bugs from the drive to Indy so that is good.

Jen

I don't like to post forwards that I get in my inbox, but I have had this in there for sometime and I want to delete it. I like the forward however, so I will use bloggers archiving power to keep it forever.


The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.


Here are this year's winners (I'm assuming 2004, cuz they're new to me):

1. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

2. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

3. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

4. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.

5. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

6. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

7. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

8. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

9. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.

10. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

11. Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.

12. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

13. Glibido: All talk and no action.

14. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

15. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

16. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

17. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

And the pick of the literature:

18. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an ass

Christie will be in town in about 4 hours. I hope she brought a sweater because it's going to be a chilly weekend (for Southern California, on the coast where I live).

Jen

Today I had to drop off some books and an invoice at one of our client’s office. In the lobby, I found vague directions to the office listed as “front hallway.” The building itself was a maze, and without looking at the sign on the wall outside one office, I walked in because it was located in what I thought to be the “front hallway.” There was no one at the front desk, and there appeared to be another office that I could see with the door closed. I walked out and checked the sign. Apparently I had walked into the “Curb your Enthusiasm” office. I was tempted to go back in and look for Larry David, but I wouldn’t know what to say even if I found the guy. I don’t know, maybe a “you’re really funny”?

When I got to the line to exit the parking lot, I thought of that one episode where Larry David didn’t have five bucks to pay the lady cashier to exit the parking lot. I began to wonder if this is where he got the idea.

I just scored a case of New Orleans’ finest. I can not wait to put it in my fridge, pace nervously while it chills and then, drink it.

Jen

It's been a rough two weeks; although I don't think that rough can even explain how it's been for me. I'm not one to post personal tragedy, but honestly, this has possibly been the hardest two weeks of my life thus far. I'm just starting to feel a bit more on track this week so, I figure there's no better time than now to start writing again.

Mike, it's very nice to hear from you. I'm glad that all is going well for you minus the sleep thing and cold thing. My friend, Lindsey, was also having problems feeling rested and decided to go in for tests. Basically, they hooked her up to a bunch of machines and video taped her sleeping. As it turned out, she has sleep apnea, which basically means she stops breathing in her sleep due to an obstruction of tissues in the throat. This causes you to wake up to start breathing again and causes unfulfilling sleep. She can wear this mouth and nose piece that pumps in fresh oxygen, but as you probably can figure out, it's not super cool or comfortable. Here's some more info if you are interested.

Last Tuesday, Chris (my coworker) spotted Paulie Shore in the parking lot of Bergamot. Sure enough, he walked right by the gallery and ended up filming some stuff in the gallery across the way from us. So! You know what that means! Here is an updated celebrity sightings list:

1. Paulie Shore
2. Helen Hunt
3. Brittany Spears
4. Ron Eldard
5. Host from Street Smarts

I am very excited about Christie coming in for a visit this weekend. Nothing like friends to keep the spirits up!