Jen

Thursday night at the Gap, some guy who was either drunk or high tried to return a pair of jeans that had vomit on them. Now, not trying to do a cheer for the Gap or anything, but their return policy is pretty damn lenient. If you buy any clothes from the Gap, wear them, wash them and then return them in 14 days with a receipt, you can get your money back. That is extremely fair.

So this guy, drops his dirty -oh, I almost forgot- alcohol and smoke stench, dog-hair covered, vomit splattered jeans on the counter and asks me if he can exchange them for a new pair. I ask if he has a receipt and he tells me they were a gift and has no receipt, but he got them "like, last week." I told him the Gap policy and also told him that when there is no receipt and the jeans are really dirty, we can't take them back. Then he tells me he may have eaten Taco Bell while wearing the jeans. The spots were not hot sauce.

Anyway, I get approval from my manager to exchange the jeans for a new pair and I tell him to keep the receipt, like it's the most important thing that he has. "Kinda like my Visa Check Card?" Um, sure.

BOWLING BOWLING BOWLING!!!!

Stolen from Megan...

Four Jobs You've Had In Your Life:

1. Production Specialist (current - despite the sound of it, I don't work in a factory)
2. Financial Aid Rep
3. Information Security...umm...Dude
4. Driver of child molester van (delivery and pick-up of assorted crap)

The worst job was the summer when I worked in a factory making leather key rings. Yep, that's right.

Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over Again:

1. "Super Troopers"
2. "Blade Runner"
3. "Rushmore"
4. "Police Academy 2" (well, I watched it over and over as a kid)

Four Places You've Lived:

1. Glen Ellyn
2. Chicago
3. Champaign
4. Urbana

Four TV Shows You Love To Watch:

1. "Arrested Development"
2. "The Office"
3. "Plastic Surgery: Before and After"
4. "The Colbert Report"

Four Places You've Been On Vacation:

1. Paterson, New Jersey
2. Maui
3. Orlando
4. Twin Falls, Nebraska (or something like that - for a wedding)

Four Websites You Visit Daily

1. www.gmail.com
2. www.pitchforkmedia.com (despite the often cringe-worthy writing)
3. writeonmegs.blogspot.com (where I got this list from)
4. www.rokulabs.com/forums

Four Of Your Favorite Foods:

1. sushi
2. stuffed pizza
3. Reese's Pieces
4. various cheese-related products

Four Albums You Can't Live Without:

1. Seam - "The Problem With Me"
2. Elvis Costello - "This Tear's Model"
3. Fugazi - "In On the Kill Taker"
4. Shuggie Otis - "Inspiration Information"

Four Vehicles You've Owned:
1. 1990 Geo Prizm (RIP, my friend)
2. ""
3. ""
4. ""

Jen

Be prepared for my longest post in ages.

Today, as I was driving and stopped at a red light, a guy pulled up next to me in a pick-up truck and motioned for me to roll down the window. I did my best to try and ignore him, but I could hear him yelling at me. So, I roll down my window and he asks me if I would like a home theater system and motions to the back of his truck where there are 6 or 7 boxes. I said no and that I already had one. He then says “Thanks, Sweetie” and cuts me off as the light changes. I forgot to turn off my freak magnet this morning.

Just as an update for those that are interested, there have been no further problems with the downstairs neighbor and I. It's strange, but I still feel uneasy about his presence. It’s just that he was such a dick to me and I was really very nice. I didn’t even swear at him, which is highly unusual for me. Anyway, he hasn’t been the best neighbor since he moved in (breaking bottles in the alley, blasting annoying polka and techno Friday night through Sunday, having his d-bag fiends lay on the buzzers for all the apts, etc) but as long as there aren’t anymore incidents like two weeks ago, I can deal.

On a lighter note, I read Mike’s list for 2005 and thought I’d chime in with a few of my obsessions from last year. I figure I haven't written 2006 on a check yet because I kept forgetting the year has changed, so it’s almost like I’m still talking about this year. Does this make sense? I didn't think so.

TV obsession – Lost
Yes I know, this program aired the fall of 2004. However, it wasn’t until 2005 that I got hooked. Matt used to work on Wednesday nights, so without anything to do, and still getting settled in California, I began to watch “Lost.” I couldn’t figure out how they were going to make a television show about being stranded on an island interesting. After seeing an episode, I couldn’t help tuning in to see what was going to happen next. The complex characters, storylines and even the mysteries of the island itself, all lend to my fascination with the series. The main characters, most notably for me, Jack, Sawyer, Locke, Kate, Sayid, and Walt/Michael, have just as interesting pasts as well as their present lives and interactions with each other on the island. This season is just as good, introducing the survivors from the other half of the plane and finally, appearances by “The Others.” It’s awesome and I can’t stop watching.

Music obsession- Tie between Minus the Bear and The Dandy Warhols
Minus the Bear’s album “Menos el Oso” is possibly the best album I’ve bought this year. “The Game Needed Me” and “Pachuca Sunrise” are my favorite songs on the album. The lyrics are amazing. Go buy it if you don’t have it.
I bought the Dandy Warhol’s “Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia” back when “Bohemian like you” was a hit on the radio. I was never a big fan of “Come Down” and figured this album might be the same for me. I took a chance and loved “Thirteen Tales” which would have made my list for favorite albums in 2000. It was after I watched the movie Dig early last year that I became obsessed with the band again. The fact that The Brian Jonestown Massacre, or more specifically, Anton Newcombe, a prima donna and a jackass, had such an effect on Courtney Taylor’s songwriting was almost inconceivable to me. That is why I had to revisit old songs again and get new music too. Matt and I managed to get the rest of the albums on our I Tunes (thanks to Nathan and Senuti) and I can’t tell you how much I dig the new stuff.

Book obsession – Still Harry Potter.
I know, of all the books to be obsessed with, it’s a children’s book. However, it is one of the most engaging, well-written children’s book series I have ever read. Book Six still managed to keep me engaged with the story and the characters. I can’t even imagine how Rowling is going to end this series, and to tell you the truth, I’ll be sad when she does.


Store obsession – Kid Robot
Maybe it was boredom or just the idea of having a hobby, but I started collecting these “limited edition art-toys,” last year. I now own 21 toys and most likely will buy many more. I was also thinking about opening my own Kid Robot here in Chicago until I found out about Rotofugi on Chicago Avenue, which sells almost all of the Kid Robot toys and to top it off, Matt and I saw The Coctails perform a live set there in conjunction with their new action figures! Good times!

Enough from me.

Mike:

Better late than never...

Top Things of 2005 - in no particular order:
Low - The Great Destroyer
Archer Prewitt - Wilderness
Minus the Bear - Menos El Oso
Echo and the Bunnymen - Siberia
The High Dials - War of the Wakening Phantoms
Moving to a new department at work
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase
Matt Sweeney/Bonnie Prince Billy - Superwolf
Spoon - Gimme Fiction
Portastatic - Bright Ideas

Disappointed By...
Crooked Fingers - Dignity & Shame
the sub sandwiches at our office cafeteria

BOWLING NEXT WEEKEND BOWLING NEXT WEEKEND BOWLING NEXT WEEKEND

Jen

Sometimes I wish I had a huge house with no neighbors around for miles.

I'm still furious about an incident with my downstairs neighbor. Does anyone who reads this think it is okay to blast crappy techno and scream every couple of minutes from 8 pm to 6:30 in the morning? If you say yes, then you're an asshole just like this guy. Matt sleeps through everything, so of course, I was tossing in my bed, WITH earplugs in, hoping this guy and whatever party he was having would just shut up. Finally at 6:30 in the morning, I went downstairs and somehow, politely asked him to stop. He then insulted me, told me I had "personal problems" and that perhaps I should "walk the street" as I was invited in to party with him and his douche-bag friend. Yes. Only TWO people were there - just him and the d-bag sitting in his bedroom with just one dim light on. Anyway, my other neighbor, Dennis came to the rescue and Matt finally woke up and dragged me inside. I'm going to put cat poop by his front door so he steps in it on his way out. What a jackass.

Jen

Today, I was told by a mail carrier (female) as she handed me the mail that she loved me (we had never met until then.) Don't you wish everyone was that sweet? (Or psychotic?)

Happy New Year everyone!