i had so much turkey this weekend.  i loveeee turkey.  it was nice to see my family and spend a little time at home.  i did, however, have to work friday and saturday, so i didn’t get a lot of down time.

i guess that’s how it goes when you’re old.

my birthday is coming up soon.  as i have probably mentioned a few times before.  on saturday, dec 1st, we will be going to a few locations in edwardsville.  it’s pretty much just anyone who knows me that feels like celebrating my birthday.  and if you’re just coming because you like going out, that’s fine too.  bring a friend!

it will be pretty low key, no big production involving st louis bars this year.  just a night on the town in happy little edwardsville.

beforehand my family is coming to town to have some dinner with me.  should be fun.  for my “early birthday party,” my parents DID purchase apples to apples for me.  i’m pretty pumped about.  we played for a bit, but my family members have attention spans shorter than mine, so it didn’t last long.  i want to play it, but sadly it requires more than 2 people, in fact, probably need at least 4 to make it work.

so if anyone wants to play….

i think i have found the guitar i would like to own.  it’s a takamine (like my current guitar) and it is beautiful.  i know some folks don’t like a non-natural finish on an acoustic, but i prefer it.  i think acoustics all look so boring.  so here is what i want.

alrighty, well, i need to make this apartment look presentable before megan gets home so she doesn’t kick me out onto the street in the cold!

-jessica

When I hear beautiful music it’s always from another time
Old friends I never visit, I remember what they’re like
Standing on a doorstep full of nervous butterflies
Waiting to be asked to come inside
Just come inside

Bright Eyes ~ Lime Tree

so tonight i actually worked out. i was feeling all pumped up, and i went to the gym and i worked out for a long time. lots of cardio. i feel pretty good about myself…tired..but good.

the greatest part was that Family Guy was on the whole time. so much easier to work out when i’m enjoying myself. i can almost write off the fact that i’m all sweaty and tired if i’m laughing.

at the gym i realize how very important it is for me to watch tv with other people. when i’m all alone, i laugh out loud, comment, whatever, but when i’m at the gym, it’s rather odd for me, with headphones to comment and laugh loudly in a large white room that is nearly silent aside from the panting of the one or two 50+ year old men on the cross trainer down the line and the swishing sound of the the treadmill turning the the stationary bike pedals shifting.

it’s weird that i laugh out loud–because no one else understands. there are 6 tvs, and no one else seems to be enjoying the programming, so i decide i am watching alone.

and it just makes me want someone else there. just on the next machine, we obviously aren’t talking because we both have our headphones on, listening to the greatness that is family guy. but when something really funny, just a really great moment occurs, i can turn to that person and smile really big, maybe even chuckle (though he/she can’t hear me), and know, that someone else is on the same page as me.

that’s weird…isn’t it.

i don’t notice it in my apartment. it just really comes out at the gym.

so i love when megan works out with me. it doesn’t happen that often because our preferences on working out times dont’ seem to mesh.

i like to work out late at night, so i can shower and then goof off (probably doing some lame, like blogging) and then hit the bed.

she likes to go right after work. which is when i eat. eating is important to me. and thus, a problem occurs.

tonight i bought mad gab. it was on sale for $15. a deal i couldn’t pass up. and now i own it. you wanna play for a minute? cool.

here we go:

in case you don’t know the rules, you have to read the sentences out loud and figure out what they “actually” say.

for example:

Finnel Easel = Vin Diesel

a little harder:

Thief Emily Chew Hills = The Family Jewels

Okay, so here are a few for you to figure out. The answers will come at a later date. Let’s see if you can figure these out.

1. Unique Waters Forth Ease Lots

2. Thief Hull Mound He

3. Fee Sack Hard

4. Thud Hen Verb Wrong Goes

5. Shah Nigh At Wane

6. Eggs Dream Ache Oh Fur

7. Might Beef Hat Creek Wet Ink

8. Weep Ring Hood Thins Tool I’ve

9. These Pie Ooze Hag Dummy

10. Thumb Worth Hum Hairier

Okay, you can leave a comment if you figure them all out. I’d be impressed. Enjoy!

Well, hey, time for bed, but happy Thanksgiving. Eat lots of turkey and mashed potatoes.

-jessica

I want to change the world…instead I sleep.
I want to believe in more than you and me.
But all that I know is I’m breathing.
All i can do is keep breathing.
All we can do is keep breathing now.

Ingrid Michaelson ~ Keep Breathing

so tonight i realized i was bored…at 6pm.

i spent the entire day, dying to leave work, and when i finally got home, i had nothing to do. i wanted to go out for dinner, and maybe have some drinks, maybe go look at guitars, but i didn’t want to do any of those things alone, and thus, after some pathetic attempts to find someone to hang out with me, i decided that i would scrapbook.

i’m not a scrapbooker…by the way. i don’t have the patience. the fact that i now have 2 pages done, doesn’t mean much. it really just means that i wasted 2 hours of my life. i suppose they look okay. and maybe someday i’ll look back on them and say “wow, looks like we had a great time in florida back in 2005″

actually i’m saying that now. that was a fun trip. a little conflict-ful at times, but fun, nonetheless.

some highlights:

• the blanket fort
• kerplunk (as a drinking game)
• a hot tub on the roof
• a 2 headed shower with a bench
• my own room
• movie night with evil dead 2 (check it out if you want to see a movie so horrible it’s actually funny)
• sunsets on the beach
• game night
• outlet mall shopping
• the hookah
• being with 9 friends for a full week
• hide and seek…in the 3rd floor bathroom

i actually just miss college a lot. i miss being so close to so many people all the time. it takes such effort to get together these days. i really took it for granted. but i couldn’t possibly stay there forever.

i’m really excited for thanksgiving. i just want to see my family and my dogs. and just chill out. i haven’t chilled out a lot. i feel always on edge. and anxious. and tired. maybe it’s because i’ve been sick and had a lot going on.

i think i’ll make some food for thanksgiving this year. i don’t know what yet. something easy. that i can make the night before. because apparently in vandalia it’s really cool to go out the night before thanksgiving, and because it’s the thing to do..i just do it. i think my little sister is coming this year too. which is nifty. she’s fun.

we’re going to have a margarita night soon. if i ever go to edwardsville again. or maybe she should just come here because she never comes here. ever. i’m relatively sure she still hasn’t been here…

she doesn’t even KNOW how cool it is here.

sometimes i call her and make her go shopping with me. she usually goes. we usually don’t buy much…we just waste hours in the mall. usually eat some food. she usually owes me money afterwards. she waits long enough to pay me back that i forget, and she actually never pays me back…

it’s okay, i guess. company is a good thing when shopping. i hate shopping alone. i hate doing most things alone. i think i’m a pretty social person, but i don’t like to talk to strangers at the mall. and depending on what i’m wearing, the sales ladies MIGHT choose to talk to me. more often than not, the ignore me. i go to stores like the limited where they are apparently too cool to talk to me (as i often look like i’m 14, and 14 year olds are worth their time, i guess)

it’s amazing how much more attention i get if i’m dressed up.

i should always wear a suit to the mall. the customer service would increase i’m sure.

customer service is one of my pet peeves. i can’t understand how a sales person would ignore a perfectly good customer just because they aren’t wearing the right clothes or look too young. i just figure, no matter what, treat the customer well, sometimes they will surprise you.

apparently that is not universal.

whatever. they ALWAYS smile at mcdonalds.

over the weekend i did see some college friends. in fact, i saw a LOT of college friends. i walked into melissa’s apartment to see a plethora of people flooding the smallish living room. and people i was happy to see. except the 2 girls i didn’t know. i might have been happy to see them if i had known them, though.

i love exchanging stories and laughing with friends i haven’t seen in awhile. and it was fun. good clean fun. board games like catch phrase, and some other game..

it was good.

i would really like to play mad gab sometime though, the commercials make it look pretty good, in my opinion. i’m just pretty sure we’d have a lot of fun if we played it.

OH and have you ever played apples to apples? maybe this is nerdy of me, but it’s just a purely awesome game. everyone should own it. i seriously almost buy it every time i’m at target. (christmas/birthday idea, mom…stef…abby…does dad blog yet…??)

just sayin.

once my mom was discussing how a lot of asian men blog, and my dad, who seemed to be preoccupied, chimed in with “if i was an asian, i would blog”

i almost died.  if you knew my dad, you might also find this humorous.

i also want a new camera. my nikon died. yes, died. she no longer functions. i knew it would happen eventually, i just didn’t think it would be so soon, i just wasn’t ready yet. so i was thinking i’d get another nikon. perhaps a step up…D40??

professional style, baby.

i’m just not sure if i’m ready to drop those large bills on it yet. i might save a little longer, think about it, see if the price goes down, see if another company comes up with something better, something even MORE user friendly. it’s not about the mega-pixels, folks, it’s about the entire package. and i feel like the d40 might be it. at least for now.

i have gotten a camera for christmas every year for 3 years. i’m not sure i’m ready to break that pattern yet.

hint, hint.

lastly. there is a ring i might purchase. it’s the last one at helzberg. now, really, i’m not a ring person. i’m not an expensive jewelry person, but when i saw this ring, i just knew it had to be mine.

only problem is, it’s $250. for a ring. something i might just lose. not on purpose, of course. anyway, it’s a diamond treble clef. it’s turned sideways. i swear it’s cute. and discreet. nice.

i’m afraid it’s going to disappear for forever, but i’m also afraid of spending that much money on it…

ugh. decisions, decisions.

i used to think decision was a difficult word to spell. i always messed it up, but never really took the time to see how it was actually spelled and remember it. i know now. but i used to have this thing for the band soul decision (give me a break, i was 16), and i could never spell their name.

i grabbed the lead singers foot while he was performing. i might have grabbed his hand instead, but he was too cool to lean over and offer a paw, so i had to settle for what i could get.

i saw shaggy that night (yeaaaaah, “it wasn’t me”)

it’s not something i’m proud of, but it’s a legitimate part of my past that i wanted to let you in on.

anyway, i feel as if the rambling has continued for far too long tonight.

happy thanksgiving everyone. i hope the holidays find you well.

-jessica

 

 

I’m not lonely
But I’m all alone
I’m trying to go to sleep
But I can’t go to sleep
I lie awake with
Colored lights and ideas
Stacked up high
Where’s the diamond in my
Messy mind?

New Buffalo ~ Time to go to Sleep

so

lucky me, i’ve managed to catch the flu. this is day 4 of it’s loveliness. day 3 was the most tragic. a perfectly good saturday, wasted away in bed.

i awoke yesterday morning with a fever of 104.9. i realized how terrible that is, but i also realized how very expensive a trip to the emergency room can be. so i decided that i would get the temp down on my own and hopefully avoid that whole experience. within an hour or so i was down to 103 where i spent the majority of the day. yayyy.

i slept. watched a lot of movies. played the sims 2. read. made play-doh animals. the usual.

anyway–i wanted to share some of our creations with you, but once again, i find myself with little to do.

 

 

so, it’s practically a zoo here. playing with play-doh made me feel like a kid again.  megan made the dinosaur.  i made the elephant and the zebra.  zebras are hard to make, i’ve noticed.

by the way, did you notice what an incredible day it is? beautiful weather, perfect fall day. and i am stuck, laying down, doing nothing. i want to go for a run through the rich neighborhood, but i need to get better.

good news, though–i don’t have to work tomorrow. thank goodness for holidays that almost no one but the bank celebrates. can’t skip class on veteran’s day, but you probably better skip the bank because it is CLOSED :)

lovely!

so i suppose i’m going to move on to my next pointless task. perhaps i’ll work on my christmas wish list (it will be short, as usual), maybe i’ll take a nap, i might make another play-doh animal. maybe a giraffe, i have a lot of orange left…

oh man, i’m bored.

okay, have a good day. go outside. play in the leaves. have a bonfire. do something fun.

-jess

We all go ’round and ’round
Partners of lost and found
Looking for one more chance
All I know is,
We’re all in the dance

feist ~ we’re all in the dance

i finally finished a loaf of bread before it turned green.

spectacular!

oh and i have the flu.

maybe good news in the near future.

-jess

over clouds and through the sky
to find a place that we can hide
and close our eyes this time
it’s all inside

through this journey
we can see all the trees
their changing leaves
this safe place where we can hide away

the album leaf ~ writings on the wall

so i have a picture from my show the other night

i might have some videos soon as well

it went pretty well i thought

i have missed playing in front of people, so it was nice to do it again

i hope you haven’t given up on checking rockjessie.com because i am obviously horrible at updating

i try, but i find it frustrating when i can’t make it do what i want

hopefully help will arrive soon

i have written some new songs lately, i’m thinking they are pretty alright

i hope to play them soon or maybe record them

because i feel like i can do better than what is currently on my myspace

actually i know i can do better

so work has been really busy lately, we are a little understaffed, which is never good

we have a girl on maternity leave, and also one guy just left for another bank

i’m hoping we hire more help soon because it’s hard to balance lunch times and still have people to staff the lobby

plus we’re in the process of converting to a new system which is stressful in itself

you totally don’t care about any of that, and i understand, because banking is pretty boring, and so is reading my complaints…

so, i appologize.

i really just want a raspberry white chocolate mocha with some whipped cream on top and a long night of sleep

but i can’t really drink the mocha before i sleep because it will surely keep me up

and so, i have arrived at a dilemma

i even have a coupon, too, for a free starbucks coffee. it’s good til 12/31. i’m waiting for just the right moment to get it…because i love mochas so much, that i want to savor it.

regular coffee can’t even touch a starbuck’s mocha. no way.

there are parts of winter that i really do enjoy. the fact that it was nearly pitch black when i left the office at 5:30 today is not one of them.

however, i do love the feeling of sipping on hot chocolate right after returning from an snowy outdoor venture. i can’t wait to sled, and SNOW BOARD in colorado. ahhhhh! it’s official, folks, i’m goin to colorado. i’m just gonna go ahead and call it a little birthday/christmas present to myself.

it should be a blast

i hope i don’t break anything

i know none of this information is all that interesting or informative, but i figure if i keep typing, someone will read it.

however, i do need to get myself to the gym tonight. i pay an awful lot of money to work out there, and i almost never do it…

so tonight, i’m going to get my money’s worth

sort of

but thank you for reading

if you’re checking in my life, and you haven’t seen me for awhile (including my family who i haven’t seen in ages)..

i miss you.

so have a happy evening.

-jessica

But the people are living far away from the place
Where you wanted to help, its a bit of a waste
And the puzzle will last till somebody will say
Theres a lot to be done while your head is still young
If you put down your pen, leave your worries behind
Then the moment will come, and the memory will shine

Belle & Sebastian ~ Sleep the clock around

special thanks to jacob (my #1 fan) for this photo.

on friday night i went to the grocery store.

i’m so old.