Jen

Do you ever feel like you have had the unluckiest week ever, and then miraculously, the next week, everything just turns around?

Last week, I went to a funeral, lost my ATM card, dyed my hair into a freakish color, cried in my car after searching for a half hour for a parking spot, nearly dried my account of all money, got into an argument with my step-dad, and to top it off, my crazy carpal tunnel thing was acting up. It just sucked.

The weekend was great. I was in Las Vegas with Becky and other lady friends for Katie's bachlorette party. It was just what I needed: a relaxing day by the pool and a night dodging sweating men. Good times.

Upon returning home, I had the task of quitting my job, which went totally well! I was shocked! She was totally understanding and even (gasp) helpful. She even offered to pay for acupuncture for my bad wrist!

This week alone, my hair's freakish color has turned into something I like, got an early birthday present from my step-dad, I got a lead on a job in Chicago and was offered to still do some of the work I do for the gallery after I move back to Chicago.

Of course, with all this good stuff happening, I can't help but wonder when will things go wrong again?

Oh and just a side note - has anyone heard the song "Stars" by Switchfoot? If you do, don't start yelling at your radio like I did and blame the shitty band for blatantly ripping off Hum.

Jen

Sorry I haven't been writing lately. Too many things going on here. With the pending move and me traveling and people visiting, I haven't sat in front of a computer for days.

. . . and now I have to take a shower and get ready for work. Awesome. I plan on breaking the big news today at work even though I am a HUGE chicken and hate having people mad at me. I can't stand it. She might not even be mad, but something tells me that she well. ARGHHH. Can someone quit for me?!?!?! My stomach already hurts.

Jen

Two things:

1) I finished Harry Potter yesterday afternoon and I cried the during the last three chapters. Prepare yourself for the ending if you haven't read it yet.

2) If for some reason you don't know the news by now, Matt has been accepted in to Graduate school at DePaul University and we will be on the party train ( aka u-haul plus jeep in tow) home at the end of August. Now all I have to do is: quit my current job, pack up all my crap, drive cross country AGAIN, find a new place to live in Chicago, get a job and prepare myself for winter.

Jen

Hi all. I should have posted this earlier, but I forgot. That, and I really don’t know how many people in California read this thing. Anyway, if you come to tonight’s Comedy Night at Bergamot Station, you will get to have me wait on you hand and foot. I will be one of the cocktail waitresses, so if you do decide to come and I happen to serve you one of Bergamot Café’s fine alcoholic beverages, I expect a good tip.

Here’s the info:

It all goes down at the Bergamot Cafe Stage. The
Doors open at 7:30, the show starts at 8:30.

Bergamot Cafe
2525 Michigan Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
(310) 828-4001

There is no cover charge and the free parking is
ample.

It’s hot in this freaking gallery and I want to go home.

Jen

I am so sorry that I dissed my fellow bloggers. But, look what it did! You guys wrote! You know what would make my eyes pop out of my head? If Brian wrote something. Then I would know for sure that the world was ending.

Billy Corgan was Jonesy's guest this afternoon on indie 103. Jonesy asked Billy if he would ever leave Chicago. I don't want misquote, but the whole gist of it was that he'd never leave Chicago because it is a great city. Also, since people have to spend six months indoors, people in Chicago actually have social skills. Here in California, it's nice out all the time, so people can be flakes and no one knows the difference. Most of the California people I have met are very cool, but for the most part, I agree with this. Sorry.

I have more pictures I took that I am going to post because they are of cute animals at the San Diego Zoo.

Deal.

Mike:

Hey! Don't count us other bloggers out just yet, Jen. Other than not having any super exciting things to say, I've been busy apartment hunting and working tons of overtime. Next weekend, I'll be loading up my mom's van and hauling my stuff to my new home in Jefferson Park. It's almost like a different city over there, but it's only 3 miles west of where I live now. In other moving news, I may be headed to a new (more kick-ass) department at work, but that's still up in the air.

New Feature - Mike's New Tunes of the Week:

Every week (or until I get bored), I'll be posting MP3s from recent album purchases that I've made. Here's the first, from a recent import-only EP by Superchunk's Mac McCaughan.


Portastatic - "Power Supply"

Jen

Time to bore you death with pictures of the Grunion Party!


There was an amazing turnout to watch fish mate in the late evening hours. It was hard to take pics with my digi cam at night because it has problems focusing on anything. The next images are kinda dark- sorry! Here are some scenes from both Friday and Saturday night. We only a spotted a few grunions the first night, but by Saturday, they were all over the place.

Here's a better look at one in a bucket.

This little boy wanted to take it home as a pet. The poor little grunion just wanted out of the damn bucket.


Here's the grunion hunting crowd Saturday night: Eric, Matt and Mike.

There were definitely more grunions out this night. According to the stuff I read about them on the internet, more grunions come out on the 3 and 4th night of the run (we went out on the 1st and 2nd) and later at night/earlier in the morning. Here are a bunch that came on shore.

I was lucky enough to get in for a close up before the tide came back up. I had problems seeing it, so that is why it's off center. So cool though!

Jen

I found this crammed into my car door yesterday. And again today. I guess they really want me to go.


Apparently, a “Grunion Party” (not to be confused with a Funyun Party. Okay, that wasn’t funny. Sorry.) is basically a gathering near the ocean to watch grunions emerge from the ocean and lay eggs on the beach, where they are followed by the male fish that will soon after fertilize them. Now, I don’t know if you can read this on the back of this flyer in the description, but in caps, it says “SEX CRAZED FISH.” Who doesn’t want to witness SEX CRAZED FISH! Tell me? Not only that, but the front of this says that children are encouraged to come, and really, who wants their children to miss SEX CRAZED FISH.



So, I am going to go and bring my camera, and hopefully we can get some of the fish sex action on film.

I must blog after an enticement like Tuesday's. How goes all?

I'm in the throes of teaching summer school, a lethargic battle of who wants to be there less. I could really do without.

I've been in a funk all day. The attacks in England have shaken me for some reason. It has something to do with my friend CS who works a few hundred yards from the blast near Liverpool Street station. I met him in the station last time I visited him in London. He just got came to Chicago on Tuesday in a bit of fortuitous timing.

I think mostly it has to do with the despair I feel about the nameless, faceless threat and the insatiable hatred of these terrorists who have no real goal or reason behind their acts. The English have a Crusader Zionist government? What the hell does that mean? It's run by a Jewish Richard the Lionhearted? Apparently it means the working-class Britons who ride busses and trains deserve to die.

Enough. Cubs suck. Having friends come back to visit rules. Knowing I'll see Jen again soon double rules. Writing a test double sucks.

Christie - There are plans afoot for a "welcome home, have a nice trip back" BBQ for CS on the 16th. More info to follow! Send me your phone number. My old phone is in a landfill somewhere without my permission. Lazy phone.

Jen

The epitome of not caring: driving around with a green piece of paper under your windshield wiper all day until it blows off.

aka - me yesterday.

Jen

Christie. I saw this car on the road today. You are so lucky to have a car named after you!

The zoo was so much fun. It's definitely worth the trip down to San Diego.

It's very rare to have a sign as simple as this to describe an animal in a zoo. . .


And there it was, swimming in a tank, a plain old turtle.

Of course, I saw Pandas! and all sorts of other cool animals as well. Matt's animal of choice is the Meerkat due to their ability to catch a scorpion before it can attack them. They look like ferrets to me, so I wasn't so amazed to see them. Anyway, it was loads of fun.

Somehow, we timed our trip back home so perfectly that we were able to catch all sorts of finales for firework displays all along the 5 and 405. One after another, we hit them all, and missed traffic. Talk about a fantastic mini vacation.

How was everyone else's 4th? -not like any of you are going to write. It's like everyone on this particular blog has dropped off the blogging planet. Oh, except Christie's fine attampt last week. I'll just assume everyone is doing fine until I hear otherwise.

I was thinking about asking someone else to join the blog in hopes that I wouldn't be the solo writer, but then again, I am fearful they too will write for about a month and then become another name on the list of contributors. So, so, sad. : ( Any comment giving peeps have any ideas?

Jen

Ah, the fourth of July. A blessing or a curse, really, depending on how you look at it. Some think, " a three day weekend! Huzzzah!" I ALWAYS have to work Saturday and have Monday off. Super dee duper, no 3 days off for me.

Those that believe it's a curse may think "this is one of the most heaviest traveled weekends. Lots of cars, lots of drunk people, probably lots of accidents."

Would I sound old if I thought somewhere in between?

Maybe it's because Venice is a nightmare this weekend. There are loads of people everywhere. Trash overflows from the garbage cans onto the street. It smells of piss in the alleyways. Not a pretty sight. Or smell.

Sorry, I drifted off to sleep for about ten minutes sitting up and now, I'm crabby.

Matt and I had plans to go down to Tijuana this weekend, but Matt doesn't have either a birth certifcate or passport so we can't get in. All you have to do to get into Canada is have a drivers license. Oh well. It's a shame. I really wanted to get a matching set of brass knuckles for my other hand. Instead, tomorrow, we are taking a day trip to San Diego to the zoo; get out of the madness for a day to look at sleeping Pandas.

I went to Wednesday screening of the 48 Hour Film Project where friend, Pat (listed under "Round is Funny Productions" in group C) , had a project he worked on. It's pretty amazing process these people go through. Doing any kind of film in 48 hours isn't hard, but a GOOD film is another story. I definitely saw some major crap that night, but for the most part, it was good films. There were some very talented people working together on these projects. Pat's was very funny and clever.

Chrisite, I am very glad that you wrote something. Yes, I would buy the Tarantula. They're not mean, just creepy as hell.

Jen

I was so excited to watch Regis and Kelly this morning because they were going to have Def Lepard as their musical guest!!! Then I turned on the TV and what? Interrupted by the Inauguration of Antonio Villaraigosa as mayor? What?!?!? You're in, buddy. We voted you there. I don't need to watch it on TV.

It's been a busy week. I'll be back later.