My Poem

Do you find ethics violations a joyful thing?
They knock the noses off statues in the park and throw dye in the fountains.
But you never get the feeling this author believes any of it. There are so many people who don’t know what they’re talking about.
We need to up the aggression and win the war or withdraw entirely to ensure against the needless loss of life in a conflict without any apparent road to victory.
Can you agree? Google the word “illegal” if you have to, it has nothing to do with race and drug related offenses.
We could be entering a period of crisis for the entire concept of friendship.
I want to get to the heart of what everyone is talking about. What is everyone talking about?
But when it comes to strong opinions, catty attitudes, and over-the-top reality, forget about it.

A bomb blast tore through a crowded passenger bus on a desert highway in southern Afghanistan yesterday.
How are we going to live vicariously through these characters? I want to experience things I can’t do in real life.
A prayer is more than talking to God, but more specifically the opening of our heart and mind to God said the priest.
This reasoning makes little sense.
In every molecule, every moment, God’s goodness is there.
That might alleviate some of the fear, but if it doesn’t, that could be concerning.
Will we be a victim of circumstances or will we use them instead to grow and become victorious?
No, Middle America will always be screwed.
Rian and I recently learned a new form of poetry. This was my result.

Birthday Girl

Kerrie came out of the closet...after stealing my Bebe scarf and sunglasses.















Today is her birthday.

Thank you...

for being my friend.

I just need to vent...

Have you ever had a time where EVERYTHING seemed to go wrong? One bad thing leads to another and suddenly you're wrapped up in this bundle of negative energy that simply won't go away...?

Welcome to my past three years.

The year 2010 has particularly been awful, starting with being laid off from my job in January. Things just kind of slid downhill even more from there.

This month has been NO exception.

Here are a few highlights:

The Case of the Missing Money

My unemployment benefits are supposed to last me at least six months. Imagine my horror a month ago, when I found out my unemployment claims have been DENIED. After only five months. With no explanation. Why? I might never find out! The only way I can talk to someone about my situation is by calling the Missouri Department of Labor. Every single time I call (20 times per day) I get the same message: "All our representatives are busy at the moment and our hold line is full. Please call again." And then the line hangs up on me. Fed up, I actually went to the Department of Labor to talk to someone and guess what: they told me I'm not allowed to speak to anyone in person about my situation and they gave me the phone number to call. The same damn phone number. It's so frustrating I want to jump off a bridge.


A college degree worth shit

I am an educated woman. I have a journalism degree and was a reporter at a major metropolitan newspaper for almost four years. And yet, after six months, I still cannot find a new job. In fact, I have only had one job interview. It has gotten to the point where my dad sadly tells me I'm a hopeless cause and my only option in life right now is to "lose 30 pounds and marry someone rich." That leads me to my next issue.


My Fat Ass

In the past month, instead of losing weight, I seem to be gaining weight. Even though I am walking an hour every day and eating healthier. So now I literally have no pair of pants that fit me anymore and I can't afford new pants. I am so depressed about this revelation that I can't even bring myself to write any more about it right now.


The Wrong Apartment

I live in a really good part of town. Unfortunately, I don't live in the right apartment. Apparently the guy who used to live in my apartment was a wanted criminal. In the past two years, I have had four incidents where police officers came to my apartment looking for this guy. Those incidents bothered me but I always shrugged them off. Then a couple weeks ago, I actually had a drunk man try to break into my apartment looking for the former tenant. The drunk man was kicking in the door and screaming. He was kicking the door so hard, the latch was coming unlocked. When the police came, he took off. The police caught up with him and then let him go because he acknowledged that he had the wrong apartment. Then the police told me that before I moved in two years ago, my apartment had been broken into several times. The former tenant had a lot of enemies, they said. Holy hell. So I went to my apartment building's administration office to see if I could be moved. After discussing it with corporate, they decided I could move to a different apartment but I would have to sign a brand new year-long lease. If I broke that lease, I would be responsible for an $800 fee, plus have to pay the rent for the rest of the year anyway. Obviously, unemployed and not even receiving unemployment benefits right now, that is an impossible choice for me. So, to make me "feel better" the manager installed a more secure, heavy duty lock on my door for free. But that doesn't put me at complete ease, knowing there are still angry people out there thinking my apartment still belongs to the former tenant...when I get a job, I am without a doubt moving to a new complex.


The Dead Laptop

Without money, I still have not been able to get a new laptop. I go to the library to fill out job applications and do an occasional blog. It really, really sucks. Again, I just can't bring myself to write too much on this topic otherwise I will burst into tears.

This would be a really good time for me to win the lottery right now, or at least discover that Warren Buffett is my great-uncle or something. Please?

Anyway, I'm sorry for venting and being depressing. I just wanted you to know what I was going through, because it has been tough. A nightmare of a month. And those were just a few of the things. If I listed everything going wrong right now, this post would simply be too long. Sigh.

Thanks for reading and please send me good vibes! I need them! xoxo

The Friendship Lesson

When you grow up, one of the biggest lessons you learn is that you don’t have as many friends as you previously believed.

Those friends, who you once thought were the most important people in your life, eventually go away. The phone calls stop. The e-mails get much more infrequent. Soon, your relationship is reduced to “liking” their cheesy Facebook status updates and occasionally receiving a mass text (i.e. “Merry Christmas! I love you all!”).

Remember your friend who used to sleep over all the time in elementary school? She’s living in Florida now, with her husband and new baby. She might remember how you wore “best friends forever” necklaces in 1995, but she also barely remembers your last name.

Remember your close friends in high school who hung out at your house practically every single day? You told your deepest and darkest secrets to them. You swore you would always be friends. Well, they’ve scattered across the Midwest, married or single, living lives that don’t involve you any more. Once in a while, one of them will write something on your Facebook wall like “I’m coming into town next weekend-we should hang!” and yes, you will hang with them that weekend, but realistically you’ll stop catching up with them some time in your mid-thirties.

Remember those dear college friends? You held their hair while they puked and you crashed on their couch a million times after parties. You were always there for each other through break ups, unbearable final exams, and unplanned pregnancies. You cried the day of graduation. They move on as well. They get jobs, get married, and move to other cities. Eventually, their kids will take up most of their time and if you’re lucky you will see them once or twice again before you’re 80, and spend most of that time reminiscing about how great college was and remember that one time….?

Don’t worry. You’ll still have friends. Friends you meet at work. Friends you meet through other friends. But many of them will go away too after a while. It’s life. You laugh and smile and enjoy spending time together, but then they move on. It’s the bitter realization.

But honestly, this post wasn’t meant to be bitter or upset.

I am just at a stage in my life where this discovery has become a reality. It is a reality, however, that comes with a somewhat happy ending.

Friends come and go, but only true ones last forever.

Most of us will have one true friend. Others will have two or three.
These are friends who may live in your town, or may not. These are friends who know you like the back of their hand. They visit as often as they can. They call you often to catch up. Your children will grow up knowing each other. If you’re ever in serious trouble or in a bad situation, they will do whatever they can to help. They care about you. They love you. It’s a bond more personal than family because you created it together. Because true friendship isn’t about who shares your blood or who you’ve known the longest. It’s about who came, and never left your side.

I think I have a friend like that. If I’m lucky, I’ll be right.

Do you?

Bryce Dallas Howard

I'm sorry for the disappearing act. The past week has been incredibly stressful.

I don't want to dwell on it, so instead I will gush about one of my favorite people: Bryce Dallas Howard.



This 29-year-old is one of the few celebrities I absolutely adore inside and out. Lucille Ball may be Hollywood's favorite red-head, but Bryce is definitely mine.

I'm not saying this just because she's a sweetheart in all her interviews and television appearances. I'm saying this from experience. I actually briefly met her in 2003 (before she had done film) when she starred in Tartuffe on Broadway. I also ran into her at a press event for The Village a year later and got her autograph! Both times I was shocked by her genuine kindness.



I mean, she has every right to be a snob. Her father is the famous Hollywood director, Ron Howard, and her godfather is The Fonz. Those two things make her the coolest person in the world, pretty much.

But Bryce has spent her entire life being fairly humble. Instead of using her father's name to make it in showbiz ten years ago, Bryce did what any other teenager would do and enrolled in the drama program at New York University. She kept her Hollywood connections a secret from her friends and professors. Her talent alone led her to several plays on Broadway, where M. Night Shyamalan discovered her for his film, The Village. He had no idea who her father was when he offered her the lead role.



Since her premiere as Ivy in The Village, she has starred in numerous films, such as Lady in the Water, As You Like It, and Terminator Salvation.

But you might also recognize her in:

Spider-Man 3


and

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse


When she's not busy starring in movies, Bryce enjoys spending her time being utterly fabulous. She is married to her college sweetheart and they have a three-year-old son together. Her close friends include Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Kirsten Dunst.

Here are some of my favorite photos of Bryce:









Isn't she gorgeous?!

I hope you will all go out and rent a couple of her films. She is such a stunning actress and I have no doubt an Oscar (or two) is in her future.

Also, I hope you all are having a wonderful week!

FRUiTS (Part Two)

Harajuku fashion--Jenny and Kerrie style!

We took our obsession to the streets. Even though we weren't as outrageous as our Japanese counterparts, we still drew a lot of stares and compliments.

Our outfits are from Forever 21 and our bags are Betsey Johnson. Shoes, courtesy local boutiques!


I picked up my glittery fingerless gloves at our city's farmers market for five bucks. How random is that?!

A closeup of my shoes:






I insisted that Kerrie borrow one of my Betsey Johnson bags to go with her outfit. I think it matches perfectly!


Kerrie deserves an award for this outfit. Seriously.




Do you like how Kerrie styled my hair?







Do you like our looks?

Now, I dare you to Harajuku yourself this weekend! ;)

FRUiTS (Part One)

Lately I have kind of become obsessed with Harajuku street fashion - made famous by the book FRUiTS.

If you love fashion, I don't need to explain the Japanese style (or the reason for my obsession) any further. But in case you aren't familiar with it, I'll go into a little detail.

The style became popular in 1997, after photographer Shoichi Aoki noticed a new trend in fashion among young people in Harajuku. Young people were mixing traditional Japanese clothing with Western designs, even punk clothing. It became known as "Harajuku Free Style."

Since the trend began in the mid-nineties, the street style has expanded to cover many sub-genres, like punk, Decorer, Gothic Lolita or just kawaii.

The look has gained a cult status all over the world.

The style is fun, wild, and original. It gives you the freedom to be as crazy as you want, which I highly approve of. Plus, it is fashion at its most creative. These kids are not merely fashionistas, but artists.













What do you think of this style?

Random Awesomeness

It's time for some random photos! Yay!

You know you love it. ;)

These first set of photos are from last week when Kerrie and I suffered from serious Puppy Fever. For those of you not familiar with this medical condition, it is when someone experiences intense longing for a small, fluffy animal (in most cases, a dog). If contact with puppy is not made in the appropriate amount of time, the person can feel uncontrollable loneliness and in severe cases, bitterness and depression.

In order to save ourselves, Kerrie and I immediately went to a locally owned puppy store.


I named this dog Sir Pemberley. He is an old soul. You can see the weight of the world in his weary eyes.


Although he is unusually wise for his age, Sir Pemberley was not immune to the joys of puppy toys.


Kerrie had a blast with this little Mini Australian Shepherd.


He was a good dog. Kerrie fell in love.

Unfortunately, neither one of us bought a puppy that day. I am not allowed to have animals in my apartment and Kerrie could not afford her puppy, which cost $700.

But it was a lovely day and we are definitely going to visit the puppies again soon.

A couple days ago, Kerrie and I went on another adventure.

My boyfriend, Rian, had to make a spur-of-the-moment trip to a nearby college town for a graduate school interview. He let me and Kerrie tag along for the ride.

While Rian was in his interview, Kerrie and I toured an art museum. Afterwards, we dragged poor Rian around while we did some serious shopping.

Later on, we had to take pics, of course. We were looking too cute not to!


Isn't she adorable?!


Me and Rian!


I got this dress for $12 at a vintage store. I wish you could see the sequins that make it sparkle...

Anyway, that's it for now. I hope you are all having a fabulous week!