Jen’s blog

Saturday I did my little pseudo martial arts class at the gym.  I haven't been to that class on a regular basis in about a year.  I took a semester of class last fall, and my running schedule conflicted with it.  I went yesterday because I didn't wake up until 8 am and by then it was too late to go running anyway.  We did a ton of lunges, and swinging our little bokkens, and now my shoulders, glutes, and the outside and inside of my thighs hurt. 

I did my 10 mile run today, and I was kind of sore while running.  I guess we'll see how sore I am tomorrow!  I tried to drink a protein shake today, but this last batch of protein powder I got is vanilla flavoured, as opposed to unflavoured, and the vanilla flavouring is disgusting!  It's 100% artificial and I can tell.  I bet there's probably even aspartame in it!  I probably haven't been getting enough protein lately.  Saturday I had a 3 slices of cheese pizza and maybe about 6 small cheese raviolis for lunch, and then I had a fruit salad with granola and yogurt, and a strawberry lemonade (with vodka) for dinner.  Today, I had crepes, and then a hot dog and hamburger.  And that's it.  I ate some starbursts while I was running, and had a bit of some kind of low-cal power drink.

I love running at night because I don't have to worry about putting sunblock on, wearing sunglasses, or the sun in general.  The only drawback though is that it's a little difficult to wind down after running.  I'm still waiting for the sandman here.

I'm trying to google information on Girls Against Boys and find out whatever happened to them.  They never officially broke up; they still do shows all over Europe from time to time, but they haven't put out any new music in 5 or 6 years.  I went to their concert once, and I loved it!  It was like the universe had aligned itself for me to be really drunk and at that concert: they just happened to be playing in New Orleans while I was there on my freshmen-year-spring-break.  I think I had dyed my hair hot pink earlier that day, and I remember I was wearing a flesh colored shirt and black pants.  The club was completely empty except for a few regulars who were drinking at the bar with their backs to the stage, and my drunk ass and friend.  It was a great time!  It might've been nicer if there were more people in the club, because as it was, it was just us two, and I think maybe one or two other people that were actually up close to the stage.  Everyone else in the bar was either an employee or uninterested.  I should've tried to meet the band or something, but I wasn't in a position to formulate a plan to meet them.  Sometimes meeting the band is a lot easier than it seems.  (Tangent: I once saw Ladytron in Thai restaurant, and I was awe struck!  I wanted to ask them if they could get us in to the sold out concert, but I didn't have the nerve.  Luckily, my companion did, and Ladytron very benevolently obliged and put our names on the guest list.  They're not very good live, but they're incredibly nice for having done that for us!)

Maybe one of these days I'll have to go to Spain, or Greece, or wherever they're playing to see them live.  Although, it probably wouldn't be as enjoyable as it was the first time.  Another favorite band of mine is doing a reunion show in NYC, but I really don't care enough to go.  They've been broken up for years now.  There are few members of the original band left.  And, they're old!  One of them moved to Spain to teach English, and I don't know what the others did.  I just know that one of the last times I saw them they weren't as in shape as they used to be, and it's just kind of sad.  Do I really want to see my childhood idols overweight, greying, and breathless on stage?  Probably not.  Sadly enough, they had a farewell tour and I missed their last show in Boston.  I got there at 9:00 pm and the show was already over!  I couldn't believe it.  I think it was maybe for the best, although I'm reading Candide now and should have my tongue cut off for even thinking such a blasphemous thing!

It's hard letting go of your youth: I still have my one and only favorite movie -- Labyrinth.  A couple of years ago a small independent theatre was having a 20 year anniversary tribute showing of Labyrinth, on the big screen, which I went to.  When I got there, I was expecting to watch the movie in silence, with the reverence which it deserves.  Instead, I was treated to some old, fat hecklers, literally like Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons, heckling every last bit of the movie.  I honestly think they were the same assholes who go to the Rocky Horror Picture Show to heckle it, which happens to play at another theatre just down the street from the one Labyrinth was playing at.  Needless to say, what I was hoping to be a grand night of reminiscing was shattered by these fat assholes in the background making comments about David Bowie's tights.  Jealous bitches! 

This all brings me to my point, though, which is you can't relive your youth!  It's over!  It's gone!  You'll never recapture it, and attempts at reliving it will only taint it.  Also, I'm too sentimental and overly nostalgic. 

July is national ice cream month! What's your favorite flavor?
Submitted by LittleWiseOne.

Strawberry.  Then mint chocolate chip cookie, and then Moosetracks (peanutbutter ice cream with fudge swirls and mini chocolate peanutbutter cups).  I also like banana ice cream, but more often than not it's not very good (depending upon who's made it).

If you could leave notes for the future, what message would you have left in the past for today?
Submitted by Nameless.

Pssst, grades matter!  Also, try to suck up to some teachers and build a relationship with them for recommendations.  Oh, AND STOP DRINKING ALL THAT SODA AND EATING MAC AND CHEESE!  I know you're skinny now, but that's not going to last forever!

Have you ever broken a bone? If not, what's the worst injury you've sustained?

Yes, I forget the name of the bone, I want to say "ulna".  Yep, I just googled it, it was the ulna.  My left ulna when I was 9, almost 10.  We were playing soccer, and a camp counselor kicked the ball.  I tried to stop it, and it hit my wrist and broke my ulna.  I don't know if it's a testament to how hard he kicked it or how fragile my bones were.  It didn't hurt at first, and I just kind of laughed it off.  After about 5 or 10 mins though the pain set in and I started balling.  Once I was over the pain, I was psyched to have a broken bone, because up until then, all my other friends had broken bones EXCEPT ME!  The lengths you'll go through to fit in when you're a kid.... 

Anyway, I was delighted to have a broken wrist.  I got a hot pink "swimmer's cast" which meant I could get it wet.  I think I made a couple of kids jealous because they had the plain plaster kind you can't get wet.  That was the summer I learned the butterfly, too.  I remember the coach on the swim team telling me to forget it, that there was no way I was going to do it with that dead weight strapped to my wrist, but, I did it!  It wasn't very good, and my left arm was a little slower than the right one, but I made out alright. 

Then I went to Peru for a month, without my parents, which meant I ate whatever I wanted.  For me, all my little heart desired was bread and Inca Kola.  At the end of the month, when I was supposed to have my cast removed, I was  "playing" with my cousin (i.e. whacking him in the head with my fiberglass cast) and he was pulling on my cast, and the whole thing slipped right off!  I guess with my horrible eating habits I must have lost some weight.  I estimated I lost about 10 lbs (bringing me down to a whopping 60 lbs). 

I guess overall it was a pretty good experience.  I really enjoyed my cast!  I used it as a lethal weapon and terrorized my cousin and his friends with it.  It was a good story to tell when I got back to school in the fall.  The only thing I didn't like was when the doctor tried to trim my cast with some kind of circular saw.  I swear I could feel it drilling into my knuckles.  To be honest, would you trust a complete stranger with your hand and a circular saw?

Which presidential candidate do you think will do the most to help small business owners? Why do you think so?
Sponsored by HP.

Small business owners, small business owners, small business owners!  SPONSORED BY HP!!!  Small business owners should use HP SMALL BUSINESS SOLUTIONS!  Fuck, I'm tired of seeing these SPONSORED BY HP! 'qotd'.  It should be called the HP Small Business Ad of the day.

What question do you hate being asked?

Where are you from?  What's your ethnicity? etc etc.  If you have to ask, you don't need to know!

Today I had a burger, with ketchup, fries, and a coke.  I don't normally eat this kind of shit, but I just ended up eating at this little local pub, and that's what they serve there, so that's what I ate.  I actually don't really like the food there because the fries are so greasy.  I finished eating at 2:00 pm.  Six hours later I still feel bloated and disgusting!  I'm sure my body hasn't even begun to digest this shit.  I don't know what I was thinking!

I went out for my 9 mile run today... and it turned into a 9 mile walk.  It took me 2:45:00.  I was as slow as molasses.  I still can't move!  Lo que sera sera.  I guess it's for the best.  Walking it gets my joints used to the mileage minus all the stress of running.  I also learned a valuable lesson about not drinking soda, and eating greasey fries!  My stomach feels hyperextended.  Ugh!

I love this dress!  I know I need to get different shoes for this.  I also want to get a vintage beaded clutch.  The little glass beaded kind, like you'd find in your attic or your great aunt's hope chest.  I know my taste is so queer...  I just love tulle!

The first and second picture are in Livorno, Italy.  The third and fourth pictures are in Rome.  The fifth picture is Barcelona, the sixth picture is Palma de Mallorca, the third is Portofino, Italy, and the last one is St. Tropez.